The Man and the Monster
by Xaer
Summary: AU. The tale of 2 mutants, who after being captured by FoH, find love and spark new things throughout the whole X Mansion. If you are offended by sexuality, man on woman, man on man, woman on woman, dont read this. In Iraq till Mar 05. Will update then!
1. Sanctuary

1.  
Raien could barely remember the feel of sunlight on his skin. He rarely saw it anymore save through the grate of a storm drain. Life had become hell. Mutants were beaten on the street, and the police didn't lift a finger. A group calling itself the Friends of Humanity had grown into a world power. What had started as a simple hate group had become a cancer of the earth. Raien had to give them credit, they certainly knew what they were doing. They'd begun recruiting youth from around the world, indoctrinating them early into their hateful ways. Now this generation had entered the workplace. Even the government. Now, they were building "Sanctuaries". "Places where Mutants would be happy and safe from the outside world."  
Grimly, Raien laughed at the prospect. He knew what these Sanctuaries signified. It had happened before, only this time, the arm band bore not a swastika, but an eagle. The outcome was the same. People went in. They didn't come out.  
Months before, Raien had been taken in by a group named the Morlocks. They were a group of mutants unable to walk on the surface. Their mutations so extreme that normal people were afraid of them or spat at them. Raien looked normal enough, but a pair of solid blue glowing eyes tended to give him away. Ironically, a group of FoH, after beating him severely, dumped him right on their doorstep. They'd told him he belonged in the sewer with the rats. The Morlocks took him in, nursed him back to health, and even helped him develop his gift. Made him call it a gift, and not a curse.  
He could ignore gravity when he chose to. Many mutants he knew of, mainly those belonging to the X-Men, and some following the renegade Magneto had the ability of flight. Raien, or Nightfire as he'd taken to be calling, couldn't exactly fly, more like float. Though a running start or a strong jump gave it the appearance of flight. Other uses became available though, as one of the Morlocks had been a monk in northern Japan, highly skilled in several forms of martial arts. He'd taken it upon himself to instruct Raien. It had given him confidence. Patience. And one hell of a surprise for anyone who would seek to hurt him.  
The memory of the Morlocks and his Sensei sent a twinge of pain into his heart. Raien had been gone, as he liked to walk on the surface in the early hours of the morning while no one else was about. FoH had found the Morlocks. Raien felt a swell of hatred erupt in his chest. They'd killed them. Even the women. The children. Raien's mouth curled downward in disgust. He had returned to find no one left alive. The bodies of his friends, his family had littered their homes.  
Since that day, Raien had walked the sewers aimlessly. His life, his family had been taken away from him.  
He stared at the slab of stale bread he had been eating, realizing it was getting light outside. "Time to make camp." he muttered. FoH, having found so many "Muties" in the sewer, made appearances every once in a while. Raien knew some of the places that the Morlocks had used for hiding places, and used those to hide during the day. He'd found one such place, removing several large stones, a small hole opened up into a room big enough to stretch out in, but only barely.  
He'd tossed his pack inside when he heard a noise. Heavy breathing. Hurried footsteps. Flattening himself against the wall, he listened. The footfalls coming from around the corner were not those of the combat boots FoH seemed to enjoy wearing. They had a lighter tone. Peeking around the corner, Raien saw a stunningly beautiful woman, clad in what had been white, long before. Tears streaked her face, and somehow Raien just knew she was a mutant.  
He stepped out toward her. She gasped, and a hand flew up in Raien's direction. She squinted, and a confused look spread across her ashen face. "Whoa there! Its ok, I'm not going to hurt you." he said, trying to sound comforting.  
"You... You're a mutant?" she said, her voice shaking.  
"Well the eyes tend to give that much away..." Raien said lightly. "I'm Raien by the way. You look like you've been running. I know a spot where FoH can't find us if you'd like to stay with me today."  
Relief emanated from her, and she smiled shyly. "I'm M. I've been running for so long... I don't know when I slept last, much less felt safe anywhere. I'd love to join you." she said  
Raien showed her to the hidden room, and once they were both inside, replaced the bricks that hid the entrance. Raien handed her the blanket from his pack, and wrapped himself in his long leather duster.  
"We're both exhausted, M, lets get a little sleep. We can talk later, okay?" Raien said softly. M nodded slowly and shut her eyes. She looked like she felt safe enough. Raien's thoughts turned inward as he drifted off, thinking about his past.  
  
Raien was back in his hometown High School. He was walking down the hallway with the girl he thought he'd loved. He really enjoyed spending time with her, but she wanted more than that. They'd even had sex. It had felt good, but there'd just been something missing. The whole relationship was like that. There was something Raien couldn't put his finger on, but he brushed those thoughts aside whenever they arose. Raien simply figured that they were not meant to be. When he broke up with Jenna, he found out that she thought he was her soul mate. She was livid with anger. Luckily, Raien had no classes with her. As it was only second period, there was a good amount of time to go before lunch.  
During 3rd period, one of Jenna's friends, staring down her nose at him handed him a note from Jenna. I've got to talk to you, it read, Meet me at the baseball diamond at lunch. Raien sighed and turned his attention back to his government teacher.  
At lunch, Raien crossed the football field behind the school to the diamond. When he got there, two guys from the football team stepped out from behind the bleachers right in front of him. The next thing Raien knew he was on his ground, pain shooting through his face.  
"Jenna says 'hi' asshole." one of them said, planting a boot in Raien's ribs making him cry out in pain. No one was going to come help him. They were too far away from the school for anyone to see or hear this. The two guys didn't stop there. Picking him up by his hair, one held him while the other punched. They let him fall back to the ground. Anger welled up inside his chest, along with hopelessness. He needed help and there was no one around. Another blow to the ribcage. Raien spat blood onto the grass. Reaching inside himself, he found something. Power. Renewed energy flowed through his body. He felt strong. Fast. Rage broke its way to the surface. "Leave... Me... ALONE!!" he yelled, eyes clenched in anger.  
Opening his eyes, he found the two football players backing up. Standing easily, Raien watched them turn and run back to the safety of the building. His anger started to fade, and he began to feel like himself again. Pain all over his body returned. Doing his best to dust himself off, Raien walked back to the school. Muttering to himself, he threw the door open, heading to the nurse's office for some ice. He made it about halfway down the hallway before the sudden silence hit him. There were always a million discussions happening all at once in these corridors. Looking around, everyone was staring at him.  
"What?" he asked, pissed off from so many stupid things happening all at once. Most of them continued to stare at him. A girl he knew from Biology pointed mutely to a mirror in her locker. Looking back at him was a his face. But his eyes... They burned with blue fire. Raien jumped. All the stories he'd heard came crashing into his head. Someone whispered mutant. His chest tightened. He turned and ran down the hallway, and out into the woods near the school.  
Collapsing under a tree, he shook. "I can't be. Oh god no. Please... Don't make me a mutant. I'm not a mutant! I..."  
  
Raien's eyes opened, and they adjusted to the darkness of the hole in the wall he'd shared with M. She stood over him looking concerned.  
"You were talking in your sleep, Raien. Must have been some nightmare." she said softly  
"Yeah," he began groggily, "I guess it was."  
Suddenly he snapped fully awake to the sound of heavy footfalls near them. Boots. He heard male voices, and motioned at M to keep quiet. She looked terrified. He had to protect her. He heard one of them say something, and then one of the stones that hid the entrance to the chamber began to move.  
Blue fire erupted around Raien as he jumped from the wall behind him, into the stones. Bursting through them, one landed on a very surprised FoH soldier, crushing his chest. Raien's boots skidded on the ground as he landed. Three. Jumping into the air, he trailed blue flame as he landed both boots on the nearest soldier. Jumping off the man's chest, he landed atop the third, punching him squarely in the temples, knocking him out. One more soldier rounded the corner. He saw M.  
"Well, what have we got here..." he leered at her. Raien stepped between the guard and M snarling. He was about to jump, when a sharp pain hit his neck from behind. Instantly his vision began to blur, and he fell to his knees. Staring incredulously at M, he whispered "...Why..."  
"I'm sorry, Raien, I wasn't completely honest with you. My name's not M. Its Emma. Emma Frost. Perhaps you've heard of me?"  
  
Slowly Raien's eyes opened to darkness. His body ached. There was a humming sound that had awaken him. As he felt his body for bruises, he didn't feel his normal clothes. When his hands got to his neck, he gasped. There was cold metal there. A Genoshian collar. 


	2. Irony

2.  
  
Raien could barely see inside the room. After feeling the walls, finding they were made of metal, and judging on the dimensions of the room, it was actually a trailer. Like he was goods being transported.  
Sitting on the floor Raien explored the humming collar. There had to be a release mechanism. The people that made it would have wanted a way out of their own device if it was ever used against them. Suppressing mutant abilities wasn't the only thing these collars were for. At the touch of a button his captors could run electricity through his body, which would quell any uprising fast. It was relatively smooth, and he soon gave up.  
An engine started toward the front of the trailer. He heard male voices outside talking. He could only make out a few words. Cargo. Sanctuary. Scum. That was really all he needed to know. He was going to be transported to one of FoH's little happy camps. He knew something like this had been building up. First, FoH had made commercials about the mutant problem. Then they'd lobbied Politicians to get a few choice laws passed, and a some extra funding for their organization. Their ideas slowly were becoming mainstream. Yes, mutants were dangerous, but so were people. It really didn't take that much energy to go and get a handgun. Hell even a pencil could kill a person, but Mutants were blamed for all crime, murder, and even the weather. They'd become the world's scapegoats, and now, that world wanted to get rid of them.  
Soon the truck stopped. He heard doors slamming around the trailer. There was silence for a long time. Then something crackling. Something was burning. Raien could smell the smoke. He wondered what was going on. Suddenly a roar shook the stagnant air around him. It sounded like a lion, but carried with it sorrow and rage. Something slammed into the wall to Raien's left. A man screamed. What the hell is going on here?! Raien thought. He tried to kick open the rear door of the trailer, hoping it was an escape attempt, but it wasn't budging. Another roar, this time of pain. Something big slammed into the trailer now.  
His ear pressed to the wall, he could hear heavy breathing. Men shouting. Suddenly electricity shook his body, coming not from his collar but from the wall itself, sending him crashing into the opposite wall.  
He tried get his bearings again as the truck door opened, flooding the place with white light, blinding Raien. Something landed heavily on the floor in front of him. "We thought you were getting lonely..." one of the men outside sneered as he slammed the door shut.  
Finally, Raien's vision cleared, and he saw a man laying in front of him, laying on his side. He was sobbing as he got back to his feet, and launched himself at the truck door. Crashing into it, he hardly made a dent. He howled with rage as he crashed into it again before being brought to his knees by the electricity in the collar.  
The guy was huge. At least seven feet tall. Looking closely at the man's shaking body, he saw fur all over it, with mane-like hair falling over his back. He had hoofed feet, and he was bleeding from a small stump that looked like it had once been a tail, maybe belonging to a scorpion. Raien carefully approached and put his hand on the man's shoulder.  
The man didn't react at all. He just stared at his shaking hands, tears making tracks in the hair of his lion-like face. His sorrow thickened the air. Raien could feel it in his own heart, it was so intense. He did his best to cradle the man's shaking form in his arms, trying to comfort him. It was as if someone had reached into his chest and pulled out his heart. Still sobbing the man reached a hand up to hold onto Raien's arm.  
"My name's Raien." he whispered.  
It was a few moments before he got a response. "Chimera" he said, beginning to sober. He had a very gentle voice, heartbroken as it was now. There was something about the voice that told Raien his gentle nature. A swell of compassion rose in Raien's chest. What could have brought this poor man to roar and howl as he had a few moments earlier? He didn't want to think about it.  
"Well, Chimera, we're going to get out of here. They're not going to get away with this." He said, trying to convince Chimera, but also himself. A few moments passed, and Chimera's body began to relax in his arms. His breathing slowed, and the sounds of sleep began to appear. "You sleep. From what I heard out there, you deserve it, my friend." he whispered. For a few moments Raien watched Chimera, the pain melting from his face.  
A few hours passed, and Raien carefully laid the huge man on the floor of the truck and began looking for anything to help him escape.  
It was very dark in the trailer. It was big enough to be a commercial truck, and Raien didn't count on FoH to be very intelligent. There had to be something he could use. He began feeling the walls for anything. He was hoping for a fire extinguisher or anything he could use as a weapon. He'd almost given up hope when he reached the front of the trailer. He felt a latch. Carefully and silently he eased It open. Smiling to himself, he picked up the push broom that was inside. Silently, he closed the compartment once more.  
Now he needed a reason for them to stop. He gently covered Chimera's mouth, and woke him.  
"Shh! Its ok. I need your help, big guy." Raien whispered. "I think I've found us a way out of this. Now heres what I need you to do..."  
Chimera began to smile.  
  
"...So then the guy comes back to the bartender and says: 'Alright. Wheres the bitch with the bad tooth?'"  
Both men were laughing so hard at the joke they nearly swerved into another lane. A few moments passed in silence as both men sobered. "Grimes, you think what we're doing to these freaks is really the right thing to do? I mean yeah, they're scum, but do you really think we should be killing them and using their women like we do?" asked the man in the passenger seat.  
"Hell yeah. They're freaks of nature, and they don't have a place on our planet. 'Sides, they're dangerous. One of my friends lost a brother to those bastards. You ain't havin' second thoughts are you?"  
"No, no. You're right. Nevermind."  
A loud thud came from behind them. Then another, more powerful. The truck started to rock. "Shit. Fucking mutants can't be quiet for more than two minutes. I think its time we taught them their place." Grimes said as he pulled the truck over. The man in the passenger seat nodded, starting to grin.  
They got out of the truck, leaving it running. Grimes unlatched the door, then stood back waiting for his partner to open it. He cracked his knuckles and loosened his pistol in its holster. Suddenly the man opening the door flew back grabbing his throat. Grimes barely had time to look down before Raien burst out of the truck wielding a broom handle. He drew his weapon but not before Nightfire had whipped the stick around, hitting him squarely in the temple. Grimes fell to the ground, but when he hit, the gun went off. Breathing heavy, Raien started for the front of the truck, grateful it was still running.  
"Chimera, c'mon. Lets get outta here." He said, looking back. Chimera was sitting on the bumper holding his chest. He was bleeding. "Oh no. Are you alright?" he asked realizing what had happened.  
"I'll be fine. Lets get out of here." he said, letting Raien help him into the passenger seat. Raien realized that they were still wearing the collars. He returned to the two soldiers, both unconscious. One of them had something that looked like a remote control in his hand. Raien studied it. He'd always been good with technology. Before long, he'd figured out how to release the collars. His own snapped off easily. He did the same for Chimera, who was very grateful, but in some considerable pain.  
A slow smile spread to his lips as he realized he could set a perimeter from the device. If they went outside that perimeter, the collars would begin shocking their wearer. He placed one collar around each man's neck, and threw them both into the back of the truck. Luckily, on this particular stretch of highway, there wasn't anyone to see what had just happened. He closed and locked the door before getting in the cab.  
The adrenaline from the fight began to fade, and both Raien and Chimera knew that they had to find somewhere to stash the soldiers. They couldn't simply let them go free or they'd tell FoH that their 'cargo' had escaped. If that happened, every FoH in the country would be keeping an eye out for their truck. They found a dirt road leading off into nothingness. There didn't seem to be a whole lot around them. It was kind of a desert, Raien thought, and as they'd come from California, Raien simply figured, based on the time they'd spent inside the truck, that they must have traveled south, which could put them still in California, or they could be in Nevada.  
After driving a while on a dirt road, both were comfortable leaving the soldiers there. They stopped the truck, and Raien got out, the collar remote in his hands. He unlocked the door, and just to be on the safe side, he hit the button marked 'Pacify'. Hearing a pair of screams, Raien opened the door.  
"This is more than people like you deserve, but I've set the collars to release after seven days. By then we'll be where we need to go, and I personally don't want to be responsible for two deaths." Raien said slowly. "However, I'm not totally averse to the idea... First, you're going to give me your wallets." he paused as a new idea came into his head. "No wait... I want your clothes."  
The two men looked terrified and confused. Blue fire suddenly surrounded Raien, and he held up the remote in his hands. "Now." he said in a menacing calm. One man started to comply, but the bigger of the two pulled a knife.  
"You're joking right?" Raien chuckled as he pressed the button sending the man to his knees. "Your clothes. Now."  
Both men tossed their clothing out of the truck, leaving only their underwear. Raien really had outdone himself this time. In one action, he'd both made sure they had no way to call their friends, and also gotten themselves money to get to where they were going.  
"Seven days, gentlemen." he said, throwing in enough food and water to last them if they used it sparingly before slamming the door shut. Quickly, he set the perimeter to 10 feet, which would allow the men inside to move, but not even touch the door. He set a timer of seven days, and programmed the collars to release on the last day. After unhitching the trailer, he and Chimera turned around, and resumed the path that the soldiers had been taking them.  
"Raien, that was amazing. I thought for sure they'd planned to kill us. No one's ever done something like this for me. Thank you." Chimera said. The pain in his voice reminded Raien of the wound in Chimera's chest. He pulled off to the side of the highway. Luckily for the two of them, this truck was a sleeper. It had a bunk in the back, along with TV, laptop, and even a cell phone. He found what he was after, the first aid kit, fairly quickly.  
"Lets see if we can't clean you up a little, Chimera." Raien said. Looking at him for the first time in daylight, he was truly a thing of beauty. Not necessarily in a human sense, but the golden fur covering his heavily muscled body gleamed in the sunlight, giving him a glow that no normal person could ever hope to have. Thinking more into it, though, Raien decided that they'd better not risk someone seeing him in the passenger seat.  
"Actually, Chimera, if you don't mind, could you stay back here? Its not that I don't like looking at your charming face, just that we need to keep a low profile." Raien said, trying not to hurt his friend's feelings.  
"I understand." He replied before slowly sitting down on the bunk. It looked like a bench to his massive body.  
"Hmmm..." Raien thought. "I've got a better idea. Sorry to do this, but can you stand up a second?"  
Shaking his head, but smiling a little, Chimera rose from the bunk. Raien pulled the mattress off, and folded the frame up into the back wall. "Here, put your feet between the seats, and you can lay down. I don't want you moving a whole lot till we can get that wound looked at."  
Chimera obliged, and Raien knelt down to look at the red spot on his friend's coat. Moving the hair aside, Raien realized how little he knew about gunshots. He knew that the bullet was still inside, but he didn't want to risk digging it out. He pulled a bottle of hydrogen peroxide out of the first aid kit, and held Chimera's hand.  
"This may hurt a bit, but we've got to clean it." Raien poured a healthy amount of the clear liquid onto the wound. It frothed up and Chimera grunted, squeezing Raien's hand. Raien cleaned the wound, and did his best to place a bandage over it, despite Chimera's fur. "Ok, that's about all I can do until we get to a hospital." Raien said.  
"Hospital?" Chimera asked, pointing to his face. "They're not going to treat me. The only thing that will get us is recaptured. Who would even want to help us?"  
Realizing the truth of Chimera's words, another idea popped into Raien's head.  
"You know, not too long after I found out I was a mutant, a man and woman came to see me. My parents were still in shock, they hadn't decided to disown me yet. These two told me a place where I'd fit right in. It started with an X, I think. Xav... Xavier's! That's it. They said it was in a New York suburb." Raien thought for a moment. "Westchester! If anyone would be willing to help us, they might. That is, unless FoH has gotten to them too. I think its worth a shot. What do you think?"  
"Never heard of the place. But I think I remember reading on the internet that FoH isn't as popular in the east coast as it is in the west. The farther away we get from them the better." He said.  
"Great. Lets get movin' then." Raien said, starting the truck going again.  
Chimera still looked very tired, but seemed too preoccupied to sleep. Raien wondered what was on his mind, but based on the way he was earlier, he knew that whatever it was, it was big. FoH had really done something foul to him. Raien turned on the radio, quickly finding a faint station playing light rock. Soon, from the announcer, they learned they were in eastern Nevada. Raien smiled to himself. FoH had gotten them part way to their destination.  
"Wow" Chimera said "These guys were saving for something. Theres nearly three hundred dollars between the two wallets." Then he chuckled grimly, which caused him to grunt and wince. "No pictures of girlfriends in their wallets, either..."  
"Big surprise there," Raien said smiling. "You feeling ok back there, big guy?"  
"I'll make it." Chimera said simply.  
  
After over twelve hours of driving, Raien pulled off onto a side road and parked the truck. "I'm starting to lose it, Chimera. I need a few hours sleep." Chimera started to offer to drive, but Raien interrupted him. "No need. Just make a little room down there if you can."  
Chimera moved over a little bit, leaving just enough room for the both of them. Soon, they both fell asleep. Raien woke a few hours later, his arm across Chimera's flat stomach. He pulled it back, but wondered why it hadn't exactly felt wrong. He shrugged it off and went back to sleep. 


	3. Monster?

3.  
  
Raien awoke after a few hours sleep to muffled words from Chimera. He was talking in his sleep.  
"no..." he mumbled, his body jerking lightly. "please... no..." Raien gently shook his shoulder.  
"Chimera, wake up, it's a dream. Wake up." he said softly. Chimera gasped the word 'mom' and sat bolt upright. Raien began to put the pieces together. They must have killed her. he thought.  
"Shh, its okay, Chimera." Raien said, putting an arm around his shoulders, easing him back to the floor knowing that sudden movements wouldn't be good with that hole in his chest.  
Chimera's body shook as he cried softly. Raien gently wiped the tears from his face. Chimera reached up and held Raien's hand to his cheek. For a while, they were content to lay there. Chimera soon sobered up, and looked into Raien's eyes.  
"Thank you, Raien. Besides my mother," he said "you're the only one whose ever gone out of their way for a freak like me."  
Raien winced "Freak? That's the last word I'd choose to describe you."  
Chimera huffed and turned his head away from Raien. "I am though. What else would you call someone who looks like I do?"  
Raien couldn't believe how low Chimera's opinion of himself was. He gently turned Chimera's head back, and looked deep into his blue eyes. "Unique, Chimera. And beautiful."  
Chimera truly looked touched. The corners of his mouth turned upwards slightly and the tufted ears on top of his head didn't look quite as wilted as they had a moment ago. Raien looked into his eyes, and even though there was little light, they seemed to sparkle in the moonlight. He sighed.  
Then he realized his hand was still on Chimera's cheek. Feeling awkward, he withdrew it, and sat up, looking embarrassed. "I... I'd better get us back on the road. Still going to make it?"  
Chimera nodded. As Raien started the engine, he noticed Chimera staring at the ceiling, thinking about something. How could anyone hurt such a gentle person? This man wouldn't hurt a fly... Raien thought. It was obvious Chimera was a very caring person, and Raien admired that greatly. In the world they lived in that wasn't a common quality.  
Raien drove for a few hours, and feeling hungry, they decided to stop at a Rest Area. They figured, still under cover of darkness that no one would really notice. Most of the money they'd taken from the two soldiers had been in twenty dollar bills, but there was about fifteen dollars in ones. Raien virtually emptied the vending machine, not that there was a whole lot in it to begin with. But, it was safer than trying to explain away his glowing eyes at a convenience store. As he returned to the truck, he saw the door open. Chimera looked around carefully making sure no one was around. He grunted, holding the side of his chest when his hoofed feet clacked onto the pavement.  
"I've got to use the bathroom. I'll be fast." he said, running towards the men's restroom. Raien watched him gimp his way over, then smiled and returned to the truck. He stowed the food he'd just bought, and waited for Chimera to return. Headlights appeared behind him. A small car parked in front of the restrooms, and a woman got out, holding a small child in her arms. Raien had been worried, but she wouldn't be going into the men's room. Raien groaned as an eight or nine year old boy got out of the passenger side. This wasn't going to be good.  
The woman went into the ladies room, and the boy went over to the vending machines. He looked dissappointed with the remaining goods. Raien opened the truck door just as Chimera opened the bathroom door. The boy turned. All three of them froze. Then he started screaming. Raien frantically gestured for Chimera to come back. The boy's mother came running out of the ladies room, child in hand, and screamed when she saw Chimera running back to the truck.  
"Help! That monster was trying to hurt my son! Help!!" she screamed  
  
For a while they drove on in silence. Chimera sat slumped in the passenger seat. Finally, Raien looked over at him. "You're not, you know." Raien said. Chimera looked up. "A monster, I mean." Raien looked back to the road.  
"I scared them. You heard how she was screaming." Chimera said, sighing.  
"They didn't know you. I've only known you for a few days, but you're one of the most compassionate people I've ever met." Raien said, patting Chimera's shoulder. "You're not a monster. You're not a freak."  
"No ones ever said anything like that to me. No one but my mother. You should have known her, Raien." Chimera began, his eyes watering. "When I woke up one morning with hair all over my body, my father spat at me and left. I never saw him again." his ears wilted. "My mother hugged me and told me she still loved me, and that everything would be okay. She pulled me out of school that same day, telling them she'd rather home-school me. I didn't know how lucky I was to have her. By the end of that week I'd grown nearly two feet, and looked kind of like I do now. She became my best friend. My only real friend. I'd made some from the internet, but none really knew me or knew what I looked like. Years passed like that. I wasn't exactly happy, but I knew I was loved."  
His body began to tremble. "Then they came." he said, his nose wrinkling "Mother told me to stay in the basement. I could hear her yelling at them upstairs. She was saying she didn't know what they were talking about." He paused, looking out the window into the starlit night. "Then... I..." he choked. "They shot her, Raien."  
Raien pulled the truck off to the side of the road. There wasn't any room to do anything else, so Raien sat on Chimera's lap and hugged him. Chimera paused for a moment, and returned Raien's embrace. Raien felt tears fall from his cheeks.  
"She must have been an amazing person." Raien whispered.  
Chimera smiled. "She was." He said. "You have her strength, Raien." He pulled back and looked into Raien's eyes. He started to say something else, but was cut off.  
Tires squealed as someone turned around. Raien and Chimera froze. They heard doors slam. Slowly, Raien got up, and looked in the side mirror. FoH arm bands. Chimera looked on the verge of panic. Both knew he couldn't run far with his injury. Raien had to protect him. He couldn't stand the thought of Chimera in their hands again. He felt something else too, but he couldn't give it words. He shrugged off the feeling, put on a pair of sunglasses, and stepped out of the truck.  
"Excuse me..." Raien said, hoping they weren't out looking for Chimera and himself.  
"We got a call. Some lady seen a monster 'bout two hours west of here. Seen anything?" the soldier asked roughly. One of his men whispered to him and he got another look on his face. "Also said something about a truck wit' no trailer..." While the man was talking, Raien quickly assessed his situation. Seven men. All armed. He removed his sunglasses.  
"Maybe..." Raien said. Then his blue fire erupted around him, and he launched himself into the middle of the group, spinning, kicking, punching. One man had drawn his gun, Raien's elbow crashed into the man's throat, sending him gagging falling to the ground. Raien landed. Hearing someone stand behind him, he spun on the ball of his left foot bringing his right into the man's jaw. He quickly looked around, all of them were either out cold or terrified. He opened the truck door, his aura still burning around him.  
Chimera looked at him, relief washing over his body. Suddenly a loud bang sounded and Raien's expression changed. He started to fall. Chimera quickly got out of his seat, barely grabbing Raien's shirt, and dragged him into the cab, letting him fall to the floor. The aura around him dissappeared. Raien had a confused look on his face. Chimera got in the drivers seat, and threw the truck into reverse. He floored it, slamming into the vehicle behind them. Putting it back in forward, Chimera floored it again, the tires squealing on the pavement.  
Raien was holding his stomach. Where the bullet had sunk into mostly muscle for Chimera, this one had landed in a much more dangerous place, and gone completely through his body. Raien's aura returned weakly, helping to get him into the passenger seat. Falling into it, he strapped himself in.  
Chimera started to slow down so he could stop and tend to Raien's wound. "No. Don't stop. We've got to get out of here." Raien groaned. "X-men. Westchester." He started to sag in his seat. "New York..." then he lost conciousness. Chimera reached around Raien's body, and reclined the seat, allowing him to lay down. They'd already been driving for a few days. The next sign Chimera saw told him he was only about four hundred miles out of New York. Suddenly he realized he had no idea where this Westchester was.  
  
Chimera drove for about twenty minutes before getting off the highway. He couldn't let Raien's wound be. Leaving the truck running, and locking the doors just in case, Chimera rose from the drivers seat, and grabbed the first aid kit. He remembered what Raien had done with his own bullet wound. Though for some reason, Chimera's body healed very quickly, he didn't think Raien was the same. The wound on his own chest had already closed, and the pain was less and less every hour.  
Blood soaked Raien's shirt and stained the seat a dark crimson color. Chimera used the scissors inside the kit to cut the shirt off. He didn't want to risk moving Raien. He flinched when he saw the wound. He used the remnants of Raien's shirt to wipe the blood away. He took Raien's hand in his own, and poured the hydrogen peroxide over it to sanitize it, as Raien had done for him. Something compelled him to stitch it shut, and he bound it together with the thread in the kit. He gently rolled Raien onto his side and did the same for the wound in his back. He hoped it might buy Raien some time.  
He removed his own shirt, undid the seatbelt and very gently lifted Raien from the seat. As Chimera looked at his sleeping form, something warmed inside him. "I won't let you down, Raien." he said, then tenderly pressed his lips to Raien's forehead.  
With renewed vigor, Chimera returned to the drivers seat. He got the truck moving again, but realized they were very low on gas. The truck's massive tank had been full when they'd began their journey, but now it was nearly empty. Panic began to creep its way into Chimera's heart. He looked back at Raien, and the panic fell away. He didn't really understand why, but Raien made him feel strong. Most people in his life had always either made fun of him or had been terrified of him. Even his mother, loving as she had been, had never said he was beautiful. No one had ever treated his mutation as anything but a curse. Raien made him feel not like a normal person, but better.  
Chimera had an epiphany. The feeling in his breast, the strength he felt when he was around him, the very way he'd felt when he was around Raien these past few days suddenly all made sense. Love. Finally the feeling had a name, and Chimera didn't care that Raien was a man. Love had never been something Chimera thought about. He just assumed it was something he would never have. Chimera looked down at his fearsome looking body, and smiled.  
"A monster, am I?" he said, pulling into the gas station. He simply got out of the truck, and began filling the tank. When it was full, he strode into the convenience store, and laid three twenties on the counter. The clerk was terrified. He started to reach for the phone. Chimera growled, a low menacing sound, and totally obliterated the phone with his right fist, taking the corner of the table off with it, sending bits of the phone and chunks of the counter crashing to the floor.  
"Keep the change. Seems like you need a new phone." Chimera said, turning. His feet clacked on the dirty floor as he exited, started the truck up, and left. He smiled to himself, and looked at Raien. The man unconscious on the seat next to him had given his life purpose. Chimera felt for the first time in his life, the strength his body had always possessed. His hoofed foot stepped on the gas pedal. He was going to get Raien to this Xavier school if it killed him. 


	4. An EverFixed Mark

4.  
Raien's eyes fluttered a moment, then opened. The sound of the engine woke him. His body felt like it was made of lead. The truck was slowing, he heard people yelling around him. He tried to sit up but found he didn't have the strength. The truck had stopped, and he heard a door slam shut. He rolled his head to the left. No one was there. His eyes widened. They must have been captured. The taunting calls from people outside only confirmed it. He couldn't move. He couldn't run. Terror wormed its way into his heart. His door opened.  
He felt his seatbelt being undone, then two powerful arms encircled his body. He'd jammed his eyes shut. Gritting his teeth, he opened them. He saw golden fur, gleaming in the sunlight. A pair of pristine blue eyes looked into his. Raien suddenly felt safe. As if all the yelling around him didn't mean anything with Chimera holding him. He let his head fall onto Chimera's shoulder, and allowed the blackness surrounding his vision to swallow him.  
  
Chimera's landed on the pavement, having parked the truck across from a large metal gate. There was a mob around him, most of whom carrying anti- mutant picket signs. Chimera's nose wrinkled, showing teeth. These people moved to block his path to the gate, yelling and spitting in his direction. Their confidence began to grow, and they made a few steps forward. Chimera snarled, hugging Raien close to him. He'd lost consciousness again.  
The gate ahead of him was a good twelve feet tall. The people blocking it moved forward again. Chimera saw a few among them become bolder, wielding baseball bats. They are NOT going to stop Raien from getting help. I wont let them He thought. Rage overtook Chimera as he roared, halting the advancing mob in their tracks. He shook with anger. He felt the stump where a scorpion's tail had been before FoH took him begin to pulse. It suddenly split open, and a large black stinger rose into the air behind his back.  
Chimera could feel Raien's breathing slowing. He started running toward the gate. The crowd was stunned. When they figured out he wasn't stopping, they dove to the side just in time. Chimera leapt into the air, clearing the gate easily. He landed with a loud *clack* and looked back, amazed at what he had just done. When he looked forward, a woman with beautiful red hair was standing there. He recognized her. She was the one who had found him and called to him hours before when he was trying to find the school. He didn't really know how he knew that, but he did.  
"Welcome to the Xavier Institute, Chimera." She said with a smile "My name is Jean Grey." Black and purple smoke sprang into existence next to her, bringing with it, the smell of sulfur, and a man with blue skin appeared next to her. "This is Nightcrawler." she said.  
"Do not be afraid" Nightcrawler said approaching. He gently placed his three fingered hands on Raien and Chimera. A sound like a dragon beating powerful wings filled his ears. Sulfur filled his nostrils, and suddenly they were in an infirmary. Chimera started to thank him, and Nightcrawler smiled compassionately before disappearing again.  
"Hello. I am Hank McCoy. You can call me Beast if you like." said a deep voice behind him. Chimera turned to see a man covered in blue fur, standing shorter than himself holding a stethoscope, and a tray of various medical supplies next to him. He gestured to the bed and Chimera laid Raien on it gently.  
Hank removed Raien's shirt, placing the stethoscope above his heart. He sighed, and Chimera's own heart froze. "Whats wrong?" Chimera asked, panic in his voice.  
"Your friend has lost a lot of blood. You did a wonderful job stitching the wounds; if you'd waited a little longer before doing so, I do not believe he would still be alive. However, if we do not find a compatible donor, he will not last through the night." Hank said.  
Chimera began to shake. "He...He can't!" he said, panic and worry thick in his voice. "Not after all that... Take mine, Hank. Take as much as you need, I heal fast."  
"Its not just that." Hank said, as he found a small needle and drew a few drops of blood. He moved to a computer terminal, inserted the vial into a small hole in the front of the computer. "He is A+. We need to find either someone with the same blood type or 0-." Hank finished.  
Chimera held out his arm. He hated needles. He was afraid of them. But those fears paled at the prospect of going through life without Raien. With a surprisingly little amount of pain Hank had drawn the small amount of blood he needed for the test. A moment later, Hank looked up and smiled at Chimera.  
"You're O-. Wonderful!" Hank exclaimed, ushering him to the table next to Raien's. Within seconds he'd begun drawing blood. He filled three small bags of it, which he hooked up to the tube of an IV before skillfully threading it. "All we can do now is wait." Hank said, turning back to him. "I never caught your name."  
"Chimera. His name is Raien." Chimera said. He loved the way Raien's name sounded.  
"Well, Chimera, it is good to meet you." Hank said, pulling a chair up between the beds. "You know, you're a part of him now."  
"He was already a part of me. He saved my life." He paused, looking at Hank. For some reason, he trusted the man. He couldn't explain it, just that he felt as if he could tell him anything having only met him a few minutes before.  
Neither man noticed Raien's eyes slowly open. Chimera continued. "I... I think I might be in love. I've never felt this way about anyone. I feel... whole... when I'm with him. Is that wrong, Hank?"  
Hank looked shocked for a moment. This was the last thing he would have expected to talk about today. "Um... No, Chimera. I do not believe it is. Love is beautiful no matter who shares it." He looked thoughtful for a moment and began again. "I believe Shakespeare said it best."  
"Let me not to the marriage of true minds  
  
Admit impediments. Love is not love  
  
Which alters when it alteration finds,  
  
Or bends with the remover to remove:  
  
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark  
  
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;  
  
It is the star to every wandering bark,  
  
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.  
  
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks  
  
Within his bending sickle's compass come:  
  
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,  
  
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.  
If this be error and upon me proved,  
I never writ, nor no man ever loved."  
Chimera smiled. "That was beautiful, Hank."  
Raien closed his eyes. He looked back on his relationship with Jenna. There was always something missing. Something Raien couldn't put his finger on. He hadn't even considered that it had been because she was a girl. He had always banished those feelings whenever they came up. With Chimera though, and after hearing those words, he too felt whole. The feelings that he'd been having the past few days began to take shape. Everything came together, and the word Love seemed to fit perfectly. Raien felt as though he were gaining strength by the second. He opened his eyes, and looked at Chimera. The man was beautiful. Raien smiled weakly.  
Chimera glanced over, and saw to glowing eyes looking back. They were stunning. Solid blue, no iris, no pupil, but a soft blue glow that warmed Chimera's soul. His ears lifted and he smiled, his eyes beginning to water.  
Hank looked confused. Raien hadn't even taken the first pint yet. Though it looked like he was nearly recovered. "Fascinating..." He said, rising. He moved the shirt to the side to look at the gunshot wound. "This wound looks as if it were three weeks old!" He exclaimed. "I've never seen someone heal like this." Hank thought a moment. "I take that back. Wolverine... Ah but you'll meet him soon enough. Chimera, do you mind if I keep the other two bags frozen?"  
Chimera really couldn't have cared less. He just shook his head as he rose from the table. Hank returned, and after listening to Raien's heart beat once more, he smiled and removed the IV. "I don't think you'll be needing this anymore. You're almost fully healed."  
Raien sat up, his energy returning rapidly. He turned to Hank. "Thank you. For help, and for what you said." he smiled, "That really was beautiful. It made me realize what was right in front of me."  
"You... You heard me?" Chimera said, sounding extremely embarrassed.  
Raien stood and hugged Chimera. "I feel the same way." he said. Chimera's heart skipped a beat, and both felt their spirits lift. Chimera's soft fur felt so good on Raien's bare skin.  
Raien looked up into Chimera's eyes. He smiled. They were both thinking the same thing. Chimera's eyes soon expressed a need that Raien's own body also had. Hank saw the looks passing between the two and suggested he show them to their rooms. Beast looked a bit embarrassed. They went across the hallway and a few doors down.  
"Here is your room Chimera, and the one next to it is yours, Raien. If things are going where I think they're going... uh... here. Use them." Hank stuttered handing them a small cardboard box. Even through the fur on his face the two could tell he was blushing profusely. They both went into Chimera's quarters.  
Beast began to walk toward his own room. "What was right in front of me." he whispered to himself, quoting Raien's reaction earlier. Deep in thought he suddenly found himself at Bobby's room. He shook his head, and resumed walking to his own.  
  
Raien was lifted into an embrace. He stared into Chimera's beautiful eyes, and lost himself within them. He inched forward, and an eternity later, his lips met Chimeras. Raien's lips parted, and he felt Chimera's do the same. Their tongues explored each others mouths, and their mutual need was kindled into a raging inferno.  
Beginning to breathe heavily, Chimera said "Um... I haven't done anything like this before..."  
Raien smiled and kissed him again. "I'm kinda new at it myself... How bout you do what feels right and we go from there?" he said.  
Chimera grinned and moved to the bed. Raien noticed that all the pain he'd felt earlier that day was gone. He felt so alive. Chimera's scent hit his nostrils and went straight to his loins. It was intoxicating. They lay there kissing for a moment, then clothes began coming off. They broke for a moment, as Raien opened the box Hank had given them. Inside were six condoms and a small bottle full of a clear liquid. Both soon realized what that was for.  
In no time, both men were completely naked, save a small piece of latex and the contents of the bottle. Looking down, Raien was stunned. He had no idea how that was going to fit inside him. "Well, now I know where the hooves came from!" Raien said laughing.  
Chimera grinned and moved in to kiss him again, his powerful muscles sliding across Raien's smooth body. As they kissed, Raien felt pressure against his ass. Chimera felt his body tense and stopped. Raien relaxed again and Chimera slowly moved his hips forward. Raien gritted his teeth as pain shot up his spine. At the same time, something felt extremely good. Soon the pain subsided, and the pleasure rose.  
Raien looked up to see Chimera's eyes in the back of his head as he began pumping. They refocused on Raien. "I've... Never... Oh god..." he said, intense pleasure thick in his voice. Both were breathing very heavy, and a thin layer of sweat covered Raien's body. He reached up and hugged Chimera close, his own manhood rubbing against Chimera's hard abs. The bed began to rock as they fell into a rhythm.  
Chimera gripped Raien's shoulders tightly as he began to move faster. A moan escaped Raien's lips. Raien's body began to shake. He buried his head in the fur on Chimera's neck. They moved even faster. Both began to glow a light blue color, floating off the bed. Raien's eyes blazed with blue flame as a muffled groan escaped. His whole body tensed, and he held his breath. He bucked as he came all over himself and Chimera, gasping short breaths.  
Chimera felt his loins tense, and pumped harder. His breath caught in his throat for an instant, then he roared filling Raien with his seed. The pair fell back to the bed, grinning like idiots and huffing like they'd just run a marathon. Raien wasn't a virgin, but for the first time, sex felt right. It was as if his body was telling him I told you so. 


	5. Elisha

5.  
In the early hours of the morning, Remy LeBeau stood like a statue in the gym, holding between his gloved hands, a metal staff. Silently he began to move, spinning and striking with the grace of a serpent. Not even the movement of his long brown jacket made a sound. His red on black eyes constantly scanned the room for movement, his sharp hearing ready to catch even the smallest noise. He halted his practice when he began to sweat. Removing his jacket and shirt, he stood like a roman sculpture, muscles rippling across his body.  
He picked up his staff once more spinning it faster and faster practicing one of the many forms he'd developed over the years. He'd taken pieces from each of the world's martial arts and bent them to his needs. He moved even faster, striking harder, but still remained silent as death. Only the sound of his breathing would have given him away. He soon felt his muscles nearing their limits, and finished his form. Then he saw her.  
She must have flown into the doorway so he wouldn't hear. He smiled.  
"You like what you see, Chere?" He slowly collapsed the staff making sure she could see his muscles flex in the process. As she stepped into the light, Gambit grunted. "Gambit like what he see..." The sight of her always stunned him. She smiled demurely as she sauntered toward him. She had the look of a panther chasing prey. He smiled back. A moment later she was in his arms. He bent toward her and kissed her, pulling back only seconds after their lips met. He watched his intense love and fiery lust wash over her. He'd learned when to stop so that her power had brought some of him into her, but not so much that he hurt. Sometimes though, he didn't care. Sometimes, he thought, it would be worth it.  
She grinned "Ya smell, Swamprat." She said. "Ah think ya need a shower."  
"'Dat sound like an invitation, Chere." He said, a grin spreading across his face. "Den maybe you fin out what Gambit can really do..."  
Rogue moved in close, her breasts pressing against his bare skin. Then she whispered in his ear. "Ah think yer dreamin' sugar." She grinned as she floated out of his embrace and out of the gym.  
"Aww, C'mon, Chere! Gambit not ready to wake up jus yet!" By then though, she was gone. Muttering to himself as he picked his clothes up, he walked back to his room. "Why she gotta do dat to Gambit all da time. Fire him up den leave..." Gambit huffed as he entered his room and finished what Rogue had started before climbing into bed.  
  
Raien woke slowly amid a tangle of arms, legs, and fur. Never in his life had he been so content. He smiled as he watched Chimera sleep. Laying here like this was what heaven must be like. He closed his eyes and lay there a moment before sighing happily and drifting back off. He never wanted to get out of bed.  
A few hours later, a soft sound woke him. At first he thought Chimera was snoring. Then Chimera's hands began to kneed Raien's body. Raien smiled and opened his eyes again. Chimera was still asleep. Raien chuckled.  
"Chimera... Chimera? Wake up... You're..." he paused as he stifled a laugh. "You're purring!"  
  
Emma Frost woke suddenly to a knock on her small apartment doors. Seconds later, before waiting for her to even respond, they entered. Two of FoH's higher ranking leaders. Her mouth curled up in disgust. Never in a million years would she have even considered bedding either man. What angered her even more was that there was nothing between her and braiding their pathetic minds until their thoughts oozed. She couldn't though. They'd taken the one thing that really mattered in her life, and held it over her head to make her do their bidding.  
They'd both removed their pants. She sighed as she wet her lips and tried to muster up even the smallest amount of arousal. Of course, what the soldiers saw was a woman who looked as if she'd been starved for sex and had finally found two men who could give her deliverance. She didn't even have to use her powers to make them think that. Her natural power over men was un-matched.  
They sleazed their way to her bed, one gripping her hair, the other circling behind her. She rolled her eyes. Foreplay was obviously a foreign concept to these two. The man behind entered her roughly, beginning to pump. The man in front of her brought her head to his crotch and pushed himself into her mouth. She nearly laughed when he opened his trap.  
"You like that? Suck my dick, bitch." The one in front said. She almost laughed again. She really wouldn't even have called his member a 'dick'. It was more of a 'prick'. If that. A full three minutes later the man behind her came. A new record... she thought ruefully. He pulled out and began putting his pants on.  
"Oh yeah." The one in front said abruptly, pulling out of her mouth. Only when he turned to get back into his clothing did she realize he must have come. She raised an eyebrow. Either he had just tried to fake an orgasm, or worse, he did come. Either way, the man was pathetic. She wanted to put the bastard out of his misery.  
The door slammed shut as the two left. She allowed the hatred she felt toward them to boil to the surface as she removed what little clothing she still had on and entered the bathroom to turn the shower on. She despised FoH. She took off her earrings and unclasped her necklace. She stopped, holding the locket in front of her face. She opened it, and the face of a little girl with beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes smiled back at her. Her heart broke as she unwillingly began to remember.  
  
Years before, when FoH was more than a group of ignorant ex-White Supremists, Emma had been with a man. She had met him at a health spa she frequented. What had started as an innocent conversation among two very wealthy people had turned physical very quickly. They parted ways without so much as exchanging names. It hadn't been love, but something more primal.  
A few later she began feeling sick in the morning. She didn't want to believe she could be pregnant, but when she went into the hospital, that was what they told her. The months flew by. Emma did not want to be a mother. She had so many plans which were still unfinished. Plots within plots that she had balanced for years to advance herself in whatever organization she belonged to at the time. She had a frigid personality, fitting her surname: Frost. She liked being ruthless. She liked being evil. She knew that people would take advantage of her if she left an opening for them to do so, therefore she took advantage of everyone she could, sometimes using her impressive telepathic abilities, but mostly using her superior intellect.  
Then Elisha was born. Emma's world toppled in on itself. She hadn't expected to feel this way about a child. She had planned to give the child up. When she saw her baby's crystal blue eyes staring into hers, she knew she couldn't. For the first time in her life, she had felt something for someone other than herself. Suddenly all of her plans seemed pointless to her. She had even entertained the idea of joining the Xavier Institute, where she knew her child would be safe. The idea didn't last long though. She'd done enough to them that they would probably kill her on sight.  
So she had pulled her money out of nearly everything she'd invested in, leaving only enough to keep doors open. She moved to France and purchased a large house. She'd hired a Nanny for her daughter. She had laid the foundation for a happy life with her daughter.  
Late one night, Emma felt a prescence nearing her house. Four different men. She entered their minds, and felt their motives. They were here to catch her. 'Well', she thought, 'They're going to try to catch me...' She chuckled as she stepped out onto her marble balcony. She leaned on the railing and watched them sneak through her gardens, thinking they were being stealthy.  
"You're tresspassing." she said, the powers of her mind turning her icy voice into a booming roll of thunder. She watched terror light up each of their disgusting faces. One tried to level his rifle at her. She cracked his mind like an egg and watched him slump to the ground, his hands only having made it halfway to his head. The remaining three looked at their fallen comrade and screamed as they turned and ran. Emma rolled her eyes and sighed. The men had nearly made it to the gate before Emma decided to kill them. She killed the ones to the rear, and simply halted the one in the front. Reaching into his fragile mind, she twisted. She slowly squeezed until his motor functions wavered. Then she ripped, making the damage she'd done permanant. Into his broken mind, she spoke.  
"Tell your friends to leave my daughter and I alone. You are alive only because I chose not to kill you. Come again, and you'll wish I had."  
The soldier stumbled out of her property as quickly as his crippled mind could work his legs. Then she heard a scream. It was Elisha. Emma sprinted back into her house, to her daughter's room. She couldn't sense anyone else in the room with her, but the terror that was washing over her daughter's mind was enough to tell Emma that something was very wrong. As she rounded the last corner, she felt electricity in the air. Through the doorway, she saw a glowing circle of light by her daughter's bed. There was another soldier there, wearing something on his head. She lashed out with her mind, something that would have shattered the man's brain. Her attack didn't do anything. She tried again. He turned toward her, Emma's daughter in his arms reaching out to her.  
The next few moments burned themselves into Emma's memory. He daughter was screaming, tears streaming down her innocent face. The man blew Emma a kiss, and took a step backward disappearing into the light behind him. Emma had finally reached the bed. Hoping she could make it after him, she lauched herself toward the light. It winked out just before she hit it. Emma landed in a heap after crashing headlong into the wall. Terror in her heart and tears blurring her vision, she reached a hand toward the place the light had been.  
"Elisha..." she whispered. She felt her daughter's presence fade from her mind. They'd beaten her. 


	6. Showdown

6.  
To Raien, everything seemed more colorful than it had the rest of his life. He truly felt as if by finding love, he'd discovered himself in the process. Everything felt so right. Raien, normally a diehard cynic, had let Chimera soften his shell.  
For most of the day, they just laid in bed, talking softly. Finally though, they got up. Chimera had nearly made it to the bathroom and looked back. Raien was grinning.  
"We might have to take it a little slower next time." he said on the verge of laughter. It was obvious that last nights festivities had taken their toll. Raien sighed happily as he walked bowlegged to the bathroom, turning on the shower. He stopped suddenly staring as steam began to appear.  
"Are you okay, Raien?" Chimera asked, stepping up behind him and wrapping his arms around him.  
"Hot... Hot Water!" Raien cried gleefully. "Its been a year since I've had a hot shower!"  
Chimera chuckled and gently pushed Raien in. The water quickly washed away the aches Raien had forgotten he had. Knowing it must be early afternoon, the two quickly washed, and turned off the water.  
Chimera smiled as he watched Raien toweling off. Raien suddenly realized the effect he was having. He laughed.  
"You know, we can't just ignore these people. I mean, they saved my life, and took us in. We've got to at least say 'hello'"  
Chimera smiled. "Can't we say 'hi' in an hour?" he said grinning, as he stepped toward Raien, his still dripping arms surrounding him.  
Raien kissed him, and grinned. "Later. I promise." He said lightly  
Chimera who was still grinning himself, gave up. They finished drying themselves off, and found some loose fitting workout gear. Raien nearly fell to the floor laughing as Chimera tried to get into one of them. The pants weren't so bad, though they ended well above his ankles. The t- shirt on the other hand, was stretched to its limit. Chimera looked confused. He flexed and the shirt ripped in half. Chimera rolled his eyes as he placed the shreds of fabric in the waste basket. He shook his head, and easily ripped the bottom part of the pants off, turning them into shorts.  
"There." he said triumphantly.  
"Close enough." Raien said, finally beginning to recover. "Shall we?"  
Chimera nodded, smiling, and they left the room. Suddenly they had no idea where they were. The metal and concrete corridors surrounding them seemed like they were in some kind of military bomb shelter. They wandered around for a little bit before Chimera's nose started twitching. He took in a few short sniffs, grinned and moved down one of the hallways. A few moments later, Raien smelled it too. He didn't quite recognize the aroma, but he knew it was food. Good food.  
The doors hissed open, revealing a small cafeteria, nearly half full of people talking quietly and eating. Upon seeing Raien and Chimera enter, several groups stopped talking. A younger man got up and walked toward them.  
"Hey, you must be Raien and Chimera! My name's Iceman. You can call me Bobby if you like." he said warmly.  
"You... You've heard of us?" Raien said slowly  
"Well, through the grapevine. We don't get many visitors, especially with things as they are now. You've got to be hungry. They made teriyaki today, one of my personal favorites." Bobby continued.  
The next thing both knew, they were seated with steaming plates of wonderful smelling food. Raien noticed that the cafeteria was beginning to empty. It had been years since Raien had tasted anything like teriyaki, and this was especially good. Chimera on the other hand had never tasted anything so wonderful. Both commented on how wonderful it was.  
"So, you're a mutant too?" Raien asked in between bites.  
"Sure am," he said, as he turned to Iceman, then turned back. "I make ice, basically. What about you?"  
"What a useful ability." Chimera said, staring. Suddenly the teriyaki caught his eye again and he dove back in. Bobby smiled at the compliment. They were now alone in the cafeteria.  
"I kinda levitate," Raien began, getting up, moving so that he wouldn't hit anything. "Like this." He jumped into the air, and immediately was surrounded in brilliant blue flames. He did two back flips before landing lightly.  
"Wow" Bobby said, obviously impressed. "Doesn't the fire burn your clothing? What about other people?"  
"It kinda tingles a little, but doesn't-" Chimera's eyes widened and he stopped talking, staring at his plate fearing he'd given too much away. "What I mean is... Um..."  
"Its okay, Chimera. I'd rather not have any secrets here." Raien said smiling. "Unless you do. I can deal with that."  
Iceman was thoroughly confused. "What?" He asked, scratching his head.  
"Um... Well, Raien and I are gay. I think." Chimera said slowly staring at Raien.  
"I think?" Raien began grinning "I thought we'd established that already."  
Chimera's face broke into a grin.  
"Ah... That explains a lot." Bobby said, still smiling. "I've never met any gay people, much less gay mutants. That must have been very hard growing up." he said, looking thoughtful.  
"Actually, I never really thought about it. I just realized it a few days after I'd met Chimera. I guess I really knew all along, but never wanted to just accept it." Raien explained. "So I never really had to grow up with that kind of fear. I don't know how I would have lived through that."  
Iceman looked a little disappointed for some reason. Then Chimera spoke. "I think it was the same here, but I'd never really thought about it. I didn't think a person like me would ever find someone to love. I guess it just happened. Besides..." He said, grinning again "Just look at him!"  
Raien rolled his eyes and Chimera laughed, along with Bobby.  
"That mighta been too much information" Bobby said chuckling.  
"I just never wanted to accept it. I dated a girl for a long time, but something was always missing, you know?" Raien said, taking a more serious tone.  
Iceman was thoughtful again. "Yeah." Then he jumped as though he'd touched something hot. "I mean, I can understand that." he paused, staring at his folded hands. "You guys want a tour?" he said, looking up.  
"Sure." Both Raien and Chimera said.  
Bobby smiled and showed them where the dishwasher was. "Chimera," he said "I don't think you have to wash yours, it looks clean enough." All three started laughing again as they placed their dishes in the rack and walked out of the cafeteria.  
They walked throughout the hallways, Bobby pointing out various people's rooms, none of whom either Raien or Chimera had heard of. They took one of the elevators to the mansion.  
Chimera looked disoriented. "Hey, is this thing going sideways?" he asked, grabbing the hand rail  
"Yeah. The main facility is actually a good four hundred yards underground. It was made incase something really bad happens up top. We could survive a nuclear blast down here."  
Raien smiled. Soon the doors hissed open, revealing ornate woodwork covering the halls from floor to ceiling. Both he and Chimera gasped. Bobby led them out of the elevator and down a hallway.  
"First stop is Clothing." Bobby said, grinning. "I'm not sure we have something in your size exactly, Chimera, but maybe some of the stuff we've made for Hank will fit."  
"Ah, don't worry about me. A pair of shorts is really all I'm used to." he said.  
They walked into one of the doors on the right side of the hallway. It opened into a room that could have been a full out clothing store worthy of a spot in any mall. Smiling, Raien picked out several pairs of baggy blue jeans, a few t-shirts bearing the 'X' symbol, and a long black leather trench coat, very similar to the one he'd worn when he'd been captured.  
Chimera looked like a deer in the headlights. "I've never seen so many clothes. There's got to be something in here that will fit me."  
Iceman directed him to the far corner, where several very large pairs of shorts were laid out. Chimera grinned picking up five or six pair. "These should do fine. Um.. Where can I change? These sweats are a little... Constricting." Chimera asked. Iceman grinned and pointed to the back wall.  
A few minutes later, both emerged, clad in their new clothing. All three nodded in approval, and they continued the tour. They saw the school part of the mansion, where the students had vacated only about a half hour before.  
"One last place. The gym. We'll have to be quiet, Wolverine is teaching a karate lesson there." Bobby said.  
"Karate, huh? I'll have to check that out." Raien said, winking at Chimera.  
Iceman once again looked confused. "You've done it before?"  
"You could say that." Raien said, grinning.  
"Lets check it out then!" Bobby said eagerly.  
They walked into the gym, where Wolverine, a shorter man, but built like a tank, was demonstrating a basic form for the class. There were about ten students paying close attention to every move Wolverine made. Raien couldn't really place an age on the man, but figured he was in his mid thirties. Wolverine stopped his form.  
"I see we have visitors." he said, his voice carrying clearly across the room.  
Raien stepped out in front of the other two and removed his jacket and shoes. He bowed to a ninety degree angle. Wolverine did the same.  
"I'm Wolverine." he said gruffly "You done any of this before?" he asked. Raien had moved to the edge of the padded section of floor that the class was using.  
"Maybe a little... Name's Raien. The Morlocks used to call me Nightfire." Raien said grinning.  
The Morlocks Wolverine thought sadly. He knew they'd been killed. Wolverine sized Raien up. The smell of gay sex hung around him, and Wolverine knew that it was Chimera immediately. He sighed, sounding a little disappointed. "Nightfire, eh? Alright. Lets see how far you've gotten." he said, motioning towards the center of the mat.  
"Well, now you're gonna get it." Bobby said smiling. Chimera just looked worried.  
Wolverine and Raien took their places on opposite sides of a white circle painted on the mat. They bowed. Raien took a defensive fighting stance. Wolverine advanced, throwing a quick jab towards Raien's chest, which was blocked easily. Raien stepped backward, smiling. Wolverine nodded and put more effort in. Raien blocked each blow easily.  
"I see you've sparred before, at the least." Wolverine said, turning it up a notch. Another jab, but this time, he followed up with a sweeping kick. Raien launched himself backwards onto his hands into a handspring back to his feet. He cracked a grin. Wolverine did too.  
"Alright. No holding back then. If it gets too difficult, yell." Wolverine said, a crooked grin on his face.  
This time, Wolverine took the defensive stance. Raien advanced. He threw a sharp jab toward Wolverine's head. Knowing it would be blocked, he rolled on the ball of his right leg bringing the left sweeping toward his opponent's midsection. It was blocked as well. Wolverine took the offensive, and suddenly Raien was assaulted by kicks and punches. Wolverine left almost no openings, leaving Raien just trying to cover his own. Neither had landed a blow yet.  
Beginning to break a sweat, Wolverine laughed as he stood back. "Not bad." he said "You have powers?" Raien nodded. "Ok. Unless they'll tear this place apart, use them." Raien nodded again.  
Wolverine advanced, but before he could attack, Raien leapt toward him. Blue flame erupted into the air surrounding Raien. Wolverines eyes widened, along with his smile. He looked like a dog being let out of his cage. Raien spun and inverted, his legs coming around for a side kick. Wolverine tried to block, but where Raien's blows had been fairly easily deflected earlier, they now carried much more strength. Wolverine evaded the next, deciding against trying to block again.  
Coming around again, and still having not landed, Raien kicked straight toward Wolverines ribs. Wolverine caught his foot, spun and threw Raien over his shoulder toward the waiting floor. Chimera gasped. Once Wolverine let go, Raien no longer arced toward the ground, he flew straight, righted himself, then landed softly on his feet, already in a defensive stance. Both had broken a heavy sweat, and were breathing harder.  
Wolverine jumped into the air coming down hard with a kick which arced downwards to Raien's head. Raien evaded, but Wolverine had known where he'd move.  
Wolverine twisted, landing to face Raien, and feigned a right hook. Raien didn't fall for it. Then Wolverine went for the right hook. Raien blocked it, but that wasn't where the real attack was coming from. Wolverine jumped, slamming his left shoulder into Raien's chest sending him crashing to the ground. Wolverine bowed. The match was over. He grabbed a towel, throwing it to Raien, who had picked himself up from the floor.  
"Not bad, kid. I've needed a fight like that for years." Wolverine said nodding. He bowed his head toward Wolverine and smiled, also feeling as if he'd finally gotten to let go. "Looks like we got an audience."  
Raien looked back, and around the door were several students, and a group of people in tight fitting uniforms. They all clapped, including the people in the class. One of them raised her hand.  
"Jubilee?" Wolverine asked  
"Yeah, I wanna know when we get to learn what he just did!" She said giggling.  
Wolverine shook his head, the remnants of a smile barely clinging to his face. "When you learn to fly, you can ask him."  
Everyone laughed. Raien noticed a few faces he recognized. Jean Grey and Scott Summers, the two that had visited his house just before his parents kicked him out. From the description, he saw Gambit standing in the background, a contemplative look on his face.  
"Ok, show's over. Raien, we're going to have to do that again." Wolverine said, the gruffness returning to his voice. The students began to disperse, all talking at once. Conversations starting with 'Did you see...' and 'I wish I...'  
"Sure thing, Wolverine. I'll look forward to it." Raien said, putting his shoes back on and grabbing his jacket.  
"Call me Logan." he said, then returned to his class.  
Raien had finally caught his breath. Chimera's heart had finally stopped racing. Several of the people in uniform looked as though they wanted to talk to him, but Raien was ready for a shower. He walked out the door, Iceman and Chimera following, while the ones in uniform began to talk amongst themselves.  
Bobby showed them how to get back to their rooms. "Thank you so much for the tour, Bobby. This place seems less ominous than it did this morning. Maybe we can have lunch tomorrow?" Raien asked hopefully.  
"I'd love that. See you around noon?"  
"Great. Thanks again." Raien said, turning and walking into his quarters. Chimera stopped outside, unsure if he should follow. His tufted ears began to wilt. Then Raien turned and raised both eyebrows. A mischievous glint appeared in Chimera's eyes, as he winked at Bobby and followed Raien in.  
  
**  
  
Bobby was deep in thought. His whole world had changed after meeting Raien and Chimera. He thought everyone here, though they knew what being a freak was like, would have been hostile to homosexuality. Especially Wolverine. Bobby knew they'd made love the night before. It was something that just glowed about them. He knew Wolverine must have smelled it, even though no one else would have been able to  
He looked back on his relationship with Polaris. He'd really liked hanging around with her, and she'd been a great friend. It really had never felt like more than that, though, even when they'd had sex. Somehow, with her gorgeous body, Bobby had been missing something. After talking with Raien and Chimera he knew what that was. He'd known the truth on some level, but had been too scared to admit it.  
Does that make me a coward? Raien and Chimera just admitted it to me as if it was nothing. He thought.  
He heard footsteps in front of him. Looking up, it was Wolverine. The last person he wanted to see right now. He hadn't put two and two together while he stared at Logan's body as he swam or practiced his karate. He had a crush on Wolverine.  
"You alright?" he said, managing to sound gruff and concerned at the same time.  
"Uh... yeah. I'm fine." Bobby said, staring at the floor. Wolverine shrugged and passed him. Bobby stopped and turned around. Who am I kidding? He thought. "Wolverine?"  
Logan stopped. "Yeah kid?"  
"How long have you known?" Bobby asked, his heart starting to race.  
Logan smiled, something he'd probably done more today than in the past two decades. "A while, kid. Its good that you finally do." 


	7. Juxtaposed

7.  
Emma waited impatiently. It was Sunday. FoH allowed her to see her daughter through a live video feed this one day a week. While it served to assure her that her daughter was still alive, it had also been an idea that Emma had planted into the minds of several key FoH leaders. Anything more than that would leave them wondering if she had used her powers on them. She touched the inhibitor collar which encircled her slender neck, and sighed.  
Soon, five men came out of a back room. They all either leered at her or looked disgusted. She brushed both off with hardly a second thought. One man, whom she knew to be in charge of this particular facility, brought out a remote and a section of the wall folded away from itself to reveal a large plasma television. Emma tapped the collar. Other than that, the men in the room saw no emotion, only the cold air Emma always gathered around herself.  
The television turned on, and she saw her daughter. She nearly dropped her façade altogether and jumped out of her seat at the sight of Elisha. One week had passed since she'd gotten to see her daughter, but nearly a year had passed since Emma had been able to hug her, to comfort and protect her. It was a burden which weighed more heavily on her soul than she would ever admit, even to herself.  
Through the television, she saw Elisha sitting cross-legged on the floor drawing a picture. The camera panned to look at it. Emma allowed a smile to come to the surface when she saw the drawing. It was of two stick figures. Emma could tell that it was her holding her daughter's hand.  
"When do I get to see Mommy?" Elisha asked the man holding the camera.  
"In a few days." Said a rough sounding voice.  
"That's what you said last week. And the week before that! I wanna see my Mommy!" Elisha protested, standing.  
"Sit down." said the voice.  
"No!" Elisha spat defiantly. Emma suddenly was on her feet, teeth barred as she saw the man backhand her daugher, sending her crashing to the floor.  
"NO!" Elisha screamed. "NO NO NO NO NO!!" she was in a tantrum now, banging both hands against the floor. Emma's eyes widened. Objects around the room began to shake.  
"YOU LEAVE ME ALONE!" Elisha screamed. The man holding the camera jumped as things started to fly around the room. Books, lamps, pillows, anything that was not tied down swirled around the angry child. Emma's chest locked up in fear. She saw an object race toward the camera, heard a grunt, then the camera dropped to the floor. Emma couldn't see anything. She began to panic. Suddenly a loud 'BLAM!' pierced the air. A second later, Elisha's face took up nearly the whole screen. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she rasped short breaths. Flecks of blood had landed on Elisha's cheek. Her breathing slowed, then stopped.  
Emma was frozen, eyes wide. Dead silence filled the room. Then one of the FoH spoke.  
"At least she has a collar on." he said  
Emma snapped her head to face him, cocked her head to one side, and the man clawed at his head as he fell to the ground.  
"What the...!?" cried one of the men.  
Emma was in shock. As what had happened began to sink in, she started to tremble with rage. "You think this little trinket could hold me forever?"  
She cocked her head again and another fell over.  
"I... I'm sorry! It wasn't our fault!" another man cried.  
"Not... Your... FAULT!?" She screamed. The full magnitude of her daughter's death hit her. She would have to go through life without the one thing she truly loved. The one thing she would ever love. She fell to her knees, looked up toward the ceiling and screamed. Everything went red.  
  
*******  
  
Charles Xavier sat bolt upright in his bed. It was as if he had just been punched in the stomach. His eyes widened. People were dieing. Hundreds of them, and slowly. He tried to touch one's mind to see who was doing it, and pure rage and hatred flooded his consciousness. His body writhed and he cried out as if he were being split in two. The raw emotion was too much for his rational mind to handle.  
His door hissed open. Bobby, Hank, Jean and Cyclops ran in, followed shortly by Raien and Chimera. They all gasped. Hank had managed to bring a first aid kit. He quickly administered a sedative to Xavier's writhing form, rendering him unconscious. Jean was still in the doorway. Her eyes wide and panicked.  
"My god..." she said holding her temples.  
Everyone else looked around in startled confusion.  
********  
Hank watched his old friend laying on the exam table. The sedative still kept him asleep. What could have happened to throw him into convulsions? Hank thought.  
The past few days, Beast had become more withdrawn into his own mind. He'd been looking at his whole life, and it seemed empty. He had done so many great things, and he still had many things unfinished, but he was never truly happy, and he didn't know why. He loved Shakespeare, but he was frustrated that he could not go to the Theatre and see it first hand. Then again, while he loved the flowing prose and heartfelt tragedies, it too had never made him happy, it seemed more a way to cope with his day to day misery.  
Hank looked at the floor. He dearly wished he could speak to Charles about this, but feared waking him. He'd always been withdrawn, and had never really wanted to talk about his feelings. So many things he despised about his life. His appearance had made dating a virtual impossibility. There were few that would accept his appearance. Once, he'd been in love, and felt those feelings from another person, but for her to love him, her life would have been full of the turmoil and danger that was being an X- man, and Hank refused to let that happen. He selfishly regretted that decision every day.  
Hank jumped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Bobby. You startled me."  
"You just looked really down. Want to talk about it?" Bobby asked  
Hank looked at him. Bobby had always been his closest friend. He'd never been afraid of Hank's appearance, never talked down to him, or treated the way he looked like a disability. He wanted to tell him everything. How the endless procession of days became more and more hollow, how empty he felt inside. His mind screamed at him to speak.  
Hank cleared his throat and looked at the floor again. "Thank you, my friend, but no." Hank suddenly felt weak. He didn't have the courage just to say a few words to his best friend.  
Bobby pulled his hand back. A few moments of silence passed. "What about the Professor, how is he doing?"  
"He's stable. I do not know what happened to put him into such a state, but I fear waking him. I'll let the sedative wear off naturally and hope whatever it was is over."  
Bobby moved behind him, and hugged him lightly. "If you want to talk, Hank, just call me. Anytime you need to."  
Hank nodded and tried to muster a smile. Bobby slowly turned and left. The door closed behind him, and for some reason, Hank couldn't take his eyes off of it.  
**********  
Bobby slowly walked down the hallway back to his room. The last few days had been torture for him. He was jealous. Raien and Chimera seemed so content with each other. They were like two best friends, who were also in love. Bobby didn't think he would ever find that kind of happiness. What were the odds that another man would be both a mutant and gay. And here. Ever since FoH had become more than just another hate group, the X- men had slowed their missions to a virtual standstill.  
In the past, Bobby had always tried to keep himself busy to avoid the darker thoughts his mind drifted into when it was idle, but recently, those thoughts weighed heavily upon him. Especially when he saw relationships blossoming all around him. There was Jean and Cyclops of course. They'd always been in love. Gambit and Rogue too, they just hadn't admitted it until very recently.  
Finally though, Bobby was beginning to understand some of those feelings. He'd always felt inadequate around women, which had turned out to be true, in a way. He couldn't believe that the hadn't realized he might have been gay. Looking back, all the times he drooled over Wolverine's body, the thought had never occurred to him. It must have been very awkward for Logan. Bobby knew Wolverine's sense of smell caught that kind of thing. He must have known all along, but never said anything. Bobby had always thought of the gruff short man as the type that would turn his back on you if you came out to him. He really was more complex than he let on, and a better friend than Bobby had thought.  
He finally arrived at his room. He just went in, turned the lights out, and went to bed. The day hadn't been overly stressful, but a feeling of emptiness had surrounded him lately. He hoped sleep would ease it.  
  
******************  
  
Rogue sat on her bed staring at the top drawer of the small dresser across the room. Inside it, she knew was an inhibitor collar. Xavier had given it to her so she could pursue a more physical relationship if she chose to, but the insidious device scared her. Thoughts of the time she had spent captive on Genosha haunted her whenever she saw it. The feeling of helplessness those days had carried with them. Without her strength and ability to fly, she was weak. Human.  
Slowly she got up, and cracked the drawer open. Seeing the red metal inside made her take a step back. She worked up some courage and moved forward once more, this time removing the collar from the drawer. It didn't feel quite so menacing as it looked. She tried to remember why she was doing this. Remy. She wanted to be able to kiss him without pulling back after only a fraction of a second. Every time she teased him, it had been worse on herself. She would give up so much to be able to just feel her skin pressed to his. This was the cost.  
She gritted her teeth and a tear escaped one eye as she brought the collar closer and closer to her neck. She felt the cold metal on her skin and gasped. Dumb girl, ya can do this. Its only a piece of metal. She thought to herself. The two ends of the collar met and the device began to hum. Fear circled in around Rogue and she clenched her eyes even tighter waiting for the hopelessness and despair to swallow her.  
Nothing happened. She opened one eye, then the other, the muscles in her face finally relaxing after being so twisted in fear. She got up from the bed. She didn't feel weak. In fact, she felt stronger, in a way. A smile crept its way onto her face.  
  
*************  
  
Gambit awoke with a start. It took him a moment to realize where he was. Then he heard knocking at his door. Rubbing his eyes, he got up and answered it.  
"Chere? What you doin' up so late?"  
"Shut it, Swamprat, yer not ruin'n it this time!" she said grinning.  
Rogue jumped into Gambits arms and pressed her lips against his. Gambit tried to pull back but Rogue grasped the back of his head. After a few moments, he relaxed and kissed her with as much passion as she had. Suddenly they were on the bed.  
Dis be a dream. Gambit told himself. It gotta be. If it was, he resolved to enjoy it. Rogue stood and undid the zipper to the back of her jumpsuit. For the first time, Gambit saw the collar. He thought about what it represented. He had never thought about that as a way for them to be intimate. When he woke up he'd have to remember this. The jumpsuit fell away to reveal beautiful skin, which almost seemed to glow to Gambit. Suddenly his mind dulled. God, if someone woke him now, he'd kill them. On the spot.  
She lay down next to him, her naked breasts pressed to his chest. Remy fought with himself. He wanted nothing more in the world then to just take her now. Dream or not, Rogue was here. With him. And very, very naked. He resisted the urge, but only barely. He kissed her again, lingering on her lips before kissing his way downward. His tongue on her neck made her gasp. Dis be the best dream Gambit ever had...  
He found his way to her breast, lightly brushing it with his cheek. When Rogue arched her back and her breathing hastened, he let his tongue creep to the nipple, lightly at first, then harder, making Rogue gasp again. He almost lost it right there and just fucked her. Her scent permeated his very soul, his rational mind fighting a losing battle. He tongued the other nipple for a few moments, then moved down again.  
His tongue explored her body, slowly moving toward the place he could tell she frantically wanted him... Needed him to go. Finally he tasted her. Slowly at first, then his tongue moving faster and harder. Rogue moaned, delivering another blow to Gambit's already wavering sanity. He stopped suddenly, eyes wide. He felt blockage. He gasped. Rogue was a virgin. Of course she a virgin. She never touch no one before, much less dis.  
He moved up slightly and tongued the little nub he found there. Rogue's back arched and she cried out in pleasure. Gambit's body trembled as he fought the urges his body hurled at him. Her body shook and her breath caught in her throat. Suddenly she gripped his head like a vice and bucked, screaming his name. Gambit smiled to himself. He moved up as she recovered, caressing her silky skin.  
He shed what was left of his clothing, his manhood aching with desire. He had to go slowly. This had to be a dream. Had to be.  
"Chere, Gambit love you from da day he saw you." he whispered to her ear. She smiled at him, trust and longing sparkling in her eyes. He moved slowly to enter her, his mind fighting for control of his body. He felt the blockage again. He paused, then felt her hands on his ass. She pulled him down, and gasped. The last shreds of sanity he had left were destroyed as he gave in. Her fingernails dug into his back and her breathing came in halting breaths. She couldn't figure out if she was in pain or rapture. Or both at the same time. Gambit knew he couldn't hold on for long. She arched her back again and screamed in pain and pleasure as another orgasm rocked her body. She spasmed around him, driving him over the edge. His body shook as the tension in his loins took him. He grunted as he came, and his body lost all its strength.  
He collapsed beside her, suddenly knowing it was not a dream. Rogue kissed his chest, and they drifted off to sleep tangled in each others arms, their love lingered in the air like a sweet perfume. Nothing would be the same for either Rogue or Gambit now. 


	8. Promises

It was not going to be a good day. Bobby had awakened to feel the same emptiness he'd felt before going to bed. He sat in his bed and stared at nothing. He wanted nothing more in the world than to have someone to hold him just then. Bobby knew this to be something he would never have. Who would want to be with him? He was a mutant. The kind of life the X- men lead was full of danger, pain, and stress. No one in their right mind would want to expose themselves to that. That was assuming they could look past his being a mutant. A lonely depression had set in on him over the last few weeks, made more painful by the arrival of Raien and Chimera.  
Why did they have to make him see what I was? Bobby buried his face in his knees. A lone tear trickled down his cheek. It would have been so much easier to go through life in ignorance. Lying to himself, convincing himself that he could find someone. He didn't want this pain. He didn't want to be a freak twice-over. The ache in his heart circled in around him, and more tears fell. He was going to be alone. Forever.  
The darkness of his small room comforted him a little. At least no one could see his weakness. No one could hear him sob. The last few weeks had been piling on top of each other, each day worse than the last. For the last few days, Bobby had woke to his own sobbing.  
Years before, a thought had occurred to him. It lingered in his mind often these days. A life of loneliness was all this world would offer him. And that was before he discovered he was gay. Now, even among his friends, he knew it would be worse. He knew Cyclops's view on homosexuality. Everyone did. It was "not natural". Others shared the sentiment. Raien had been oblivious to the looks the others gave him and his lover, but Bobby had seen them. What was the point of any of it. He was sad every day, putting up a mask of happiness only Jean and the Professor could have seen through. It seemed to fool everyone else easily enough.  
"This is Xavier. All active X-men, please report to the War Room." said the intercom sharply. Bobby didn't care. He got up slowly and went into the bathroom. He turned on the shower, and stepped inside, the warmth of the water doing nothing for him. It hadn't for months. He sighed, washed his hair and body quickly, then turned the water off. His body felt weak. Tired. Not the kind a night's sleep or a shower could cure.  
Bobby suddenly stopped. There'd been a sticker on his mirror that he had removed with a razor. The razor was on the sink.  
Minutes passed. Bobby stared at it. The razor gleamed at him. Making promises. An end to pain. To loneliness. To shame.  
Slowly Bobby reached for it. Fear shaking his fingertips. Finally he touched it, the cool metal offering itself to him. Another tear fell from Bobby's face, mixing with the water from the shower. He walked slowly from the bathroom, never once taking his eyes off the blade. He set it down on the nightstand. The thought had lurked in his mind for days. It was time. He'd lived through enough pain. He'd been lonely long enough. With a eerie smile, Bobby began to write on a sheet of paper.  
  
To Whomever finds this,  
This isn't you're fault. I couldn't live in a world that hates me. The way people look at me, the way I feel inside, I can't keep going. I discovered something about myself. I'm twice a freak. Mutant. Gay. There is no one here for me. I would never have had anyone to love. Jean and Scott, Rogue and Gambit, Raien and Chimera, you all have what I will never get. The pain is too much for me. I'm sorry I was so weak. This isn't your fault. I hope you can forgive me.  
  
Goodbye.  
  
Bobby Drake.  
  
Tears fell from his face again as he made a small pedestal of ice in front of the bed, and laid the note carefully atop it. He picked up the object of his release and moved back toward the shower.  
  
**************  
  
"Where's Bobby?" Cyclops asked  
Everyone looked around and no one knew. The Professor had a device attached to his head to block the thoughts of others out so he could heal. Jean suddenly screamed.  
"Oh god! No!" She cried, bolting for the door. Hank was closer. He was through the door in the blink of an eye, bounding down the hallways faster than anyone else could move. Even Rogue couldn't catch him. His heart beat a thousand miles a minute. What was going on? Jean doesn't do that. She doesn't scream.  
He skidded to a halt in front of Bobby's door. He rang the bell. No answer. It was locked. Hank leapt from wall on the other side of the hallway and crashed through the door. A metallic smell was in the air. His eyes widened. A note on a melting pedestal of ice. His heart stopped.  
Hank gasped as he entered the bathroom. Bobby lay in the shower, a crimson trail from his wrists flowing down the drain, his eyes rolled up into the back of his head.  
"Bobby? Bobby!" Hank couldn't believe what was going on. His best friend. Where had he been. Why did he not see this coming. How did this get so bad? A million questions assailed his brain as he scooped his friend up into his arms and ran for the door. Blood matting his fur as he exploded out into the hallway, in time to see others round the corner. He slammed headlong into Rogue, sending her crashing into the wall. She was about to protest, but saw what Beast was carrying.  
Everyone else gave him room. He bounded over the Professor in his chair.  
"Jean! I need you! Now!" he screamed as he passed her. She turned, following him to the infirmary. Hank could feel Bobby's pulse slowing, his breathing becoming shallow. Panic threatened to take Hank. There were so many things he wanted to tell Bobby. There was so much he wanted to... It didn't matter. I promise he swore If you make it through this, I wont make the same mistake again!  
He burst through the door of the infirmary, and lay his friend down on the nearest table. He ran for a tray of various surgical supplies. He had to save Bobby. If he'd been a little less concerned with his own petty problems, he might have seen some warning signs. Now his best friend in the whole world, his only real friend, was bleeding out on his exam table. It would have been easy to panic. To cry and ask the world 'Why?', but Hank knew none of that would help. Something about Bobby had changed dramatically in the last few days. Hank had no idea what.  
Suddenly he remembered the way Raien had been when he arrived, and how Chimera's blood had saved him. He still had some. Quickly, he grabbed the bag out of the refrigeration unit and ran an IV while Jean did her best to clean the wounds on Bobby's wrists. Hank shuddered. Bobby had done it the right way. Slashed down his wrist, not across it. A man of lesser skill would surely lose this patient. With Chimera's donation, and Hank's hands doing the healing, he had a chance, albeit slim. His face set in determination, Hank went to work, praying to any deity he could come up with to let him save his friend. Begging them for a second chance. 


	9. Dreams

Everything black. Weightless. Tries to call for help. No sound. Then light. Beautiful bright light. A crossroads hanging in eternity. Without words, a single thought came into his mind. Choose. Somehow that word carried staggering finality. Part of him just wanted to bask in the light. He knew it could be his. But what would he be giving up? Dimly, he slowly remembered where he was from. A point of light around him sprang toward him at impossible speeds. A planet. He crashed through clouds, and instantly the ground was in front of him. A large house. He had lived there. At dizzying speed the house rushed forward to him. He passed through the walls as if they were nothing. Suddenly everything stopped again. A woman stood shaking, hands on her face. A mix of horror and disbelief there. A man there too. He cared about him for some reason he couldn't seem to remember. He too was shaking, holding something in his arms. Something limp. Sound crashed in around him. A steady sharp tone. Sobbing. Pleading. What was in his arms? Why were they so upset? A hand. Bandages. Memories.  
CHOOSE. Came the voice, stronger than before. The light again. So warm. Inviting. Promising. A man stood next to it. Body made of stars. The choice had been laid out before him. He took a step toward the light. He looked back. The blue man holding the body was staring at him. Not through him, not past him. At him. CHOOSE! He knew this was the last time he would be given the choice. Sound had faded again, but he could see the blue man mouth a single word. Please. He looked at the man made of stars, and the light faded. The world around him fell away. The man made of stars thrust his chin in his direction. Blackness wrapped around him. Suffocating. It swallowed him.  
  
Bobby was confused. He heard beeping. His whole body hurt. But at the same time, he had never felt so safe. He tried to open his eyes, but he didn't have the strength. He dragged a shallow breath through his nose. There was a sweet musky smell. Something soft surrounded him tightly. Warmth all around him. Bobby strained to open his eyes. Slowly they responded. Blue. Surrounding him. It took him a moment to realize it was hair. Another moment before he realized who it belonged to.  
  
Hank gasped. The earth shattering tone of the heart monitor started up again. Hank had been sobbing, cradling Bobby's lifeless body in his arms. His heart had broken. Suddenly Hank was numb. He didn't understand what was going on. Bobby had died. For the last twenty minutes he had tried everything he knew to revive his friend, nothing had worked. He had given up, had hugged Bobby close and just cried. Now the monitor said Bobby was alive again? Hank pulled back and stared. Bobby's eyes were open, just barely. Another sob, but this time, of joy, not sorrow. Hank hugged him again, then quickly and gently placed him back on the exam table. He swiftly read the monitor attached to the bed. Bobby was alive. His pulse getting stronger. Bobby was alive. Hank's heart leapt. Alive.  
Jean stood in the corner for a moment trying to deal with what had happened. She had felt Bobby fade. She couldn't explain it other than she felt him leave. Then suddenly he was in the room again. Then the monitor had started. She snapped out of it and knew that they weren't out of the woods yet. She concentrated and cabinets flew open. A bag of saline solution flew across the room and she replaced the spent bag that had contained the last of the blood taken from Chimera when he'd first arrived. She kept pressure on Bobby's wounds, while unwrapping the blood-soaked bandages from his wrists. Doing all this with her mind, she gasped when she saw the wounds. A small red trickle still came from them, but she could see inside the wound. It was healing faster than she would have ever thought possible for someone other than Wolverine. A needle and surgical thread floated in front of her a moment before moving to close the wound. She tied off the knot, and the spent supplies floating around her moved to the biohazard box.  
Hank looked at her, and suddenly she was aware of something else. She had been so wrapped up in saving Bobby, and then in shock at him dieing that she didn't notice the feelings radiating from Hank. She realized that Bobby meant much more to him than anyone had thought. It seemed like Hank was now just beginning to realize this for himself. Hank looked more vulnerable at that instant than she had ever seen him. If Bobby had died, Jean thought, she didn't know what Hank would have done.  
Hank appeared satisfied with the charts scrolling across the monitor. He sighed and smiled. "He will make it." He said softly. Jean walked toward him. The feelings of relief and something else... Gratitude? Were all around Hank. She placed a hand on his large forearm. She looked into his eyes, and felt below the surface. Outside, he was his normal self, despite what she had seen only moments before. Inside was completely different. He hurt so deeply.  
"It wasn't your fault, Hank." She whispered, pulling him into an embrace.  
"I know..." Hank said with another sigh.  
"No. You don't. You can't fool me. It was not your fault." She said. Jean knew Hank blamed himself. His mind was so dark. So cold. Desolate. Enough to make her shiver physically. Hank pulled back. She felt what she had said sink in, but then the façade returned. She looked into his eyes again, and the mask crumbled. Suddenly his whole body went slack. She had to use her powers to stabilize herself when she found three hundred fifty pounds of fur and muscle in her arms. Hank broke down again. He shook for a moment, having cried his eyes dry a few minutes earlier over his friend's limp body.  
His face buried in her shoulder was truly a strange sight. Hank was much larger than Jean, and yet, she cradled him in her arms as if he were an infant. Finally, he regained his composure, and pulled back. He stared at the floor. "I... I am sorry, Jean, I don't know where that came from."  
"Its okay Hank. Really." Jean said warmly in that all too knowing way she had. "If you need to talk. Ever. Come see me." she paused. "I imagine the others will want to know about Bobby."  
Jean turned and exited the room, others waited outside, some trying to push their way into the infirmary. Jean stopped them, whispering something. The doors hissed shut and Hank was alone with Bobby. He pulled up a chair and sat at Bobby's side. He'd had to cut his clothes away, leaving him only in a pair of loose fitting boxer shorts. Hank took one of Bobby's hands into his own. They were so small compared to his, so delicate. The skin felt wonderful. Pale as it was at the moment, it was so smooth. It had a cool feel to it, which Hank was beginning to enjoy. It was like running his hands across the surface of a pond on a summer day.  
Hank sighed. Looking at Bobby's sleeping form, he remembered the last time they'd had to intervene with him. It was soon after he'd arrived at the mansion, before he and Hank had really gotten to know one another. He was such a small kid back then. He was fifteen, but still hadn't hit his growth spurt yet. They'd always joked with him about his height being 'frozen' and that he would never grow up.  
Bobby had many inner demons. Mostly, they came from the way his family had treated his mutancy. When he told them, his father had gotten angry. Kicked him out of the house, at the age of fifteen. Fifteen. His mother had done nothing to stop it. He had literally been abandoned.  
Bobby constantly worried about what other people thought of him, and that was potentially his downfall, and the reason for his depression. He had always desperately wanted to fit in, to be one of the cool guys. It never really happened. Hank had noticed some homosexual tendencies coming from Bobby, but had never wanted to say something, for fear of hurting him. Hank huffed. Hurting him. He thought that maybe if he had not been too busy worrying about that, he may have seen this coming and been able to stop it. No. Jean was right. He shook his head, trying not to blame himself.  
Hank looked up. The saline was running low. He rose and brought a few more bags of the clear liquid back to the exam table and attached them to the drip. Hank brought a blanket and draped it gently across the table. It seemed a crime against nature to cover his beautiful skin. Hank had always been jealous even of other mutants. There was so much they took for granted. The simple feel of skin touching skin was something only the tips of his fingers and the pads of his feet knew. He sighed. Another beautiful day in paradise, He mused.  
Hank began to think harder. He'd been so lonely over the past few weeks. More than normal. Not even the ever-soothing words of the Bard could give him peace. Life had become monotonous. Bland. Every day, he got up. Went to his lab. Worked on various projects aimed at the betterment of mankind. He knew he was providing a valuable service, and using the prodigious mind he'd been blessed with to help people, but where did he fit into the whole picture. He enjoyed science. Loved it even. But it was a cold bedfellow. It never held him when he was sad. Comforted him when he hurt. Hell, he was still a virgin. This plagued Hank to no end. He huffed again. Another thing it seems everyone has found but I.  
Hank suddenly noticed he had his head on Bobby's chest. He slowly sat up. He had Bobby had always had somewhat of a physical kind of friendship. Bobby seemed to find himself depressed every once in a while and sought refuge with Hank. They'd watch a cheesy horror movie or three, and play video games till the sun came up. Hank missed that. Looking back, it had been months since they'd had one of those nights. He missed just sitting on the couch, his arm around his friend, just a lazy evening, a couch, and a movie. And Twinkies. Lots of Twinkies. As soon as Bobby was able, he was going to force him to do that again. He put his arm over Bobby's chest, and nuzzled his shoulder. He was never going to let Bobby be alone again.  
  
A black haze surrounded Hank. He heard snarling. For the first time in nearly a year, the beast inside wanted to play. It was something Hank had dealt with from the beginning. A sort of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hydd situation. The beast was always there waiting for a weakness, trying to claw his way to the surface. To take Hank's sanity and smash it like a piece of glass so he could run rampant with Hank's body. The mists around him began to take form. He was in a forest. Large trees all around him. There was movement in front of him. A mass of matted blue hair, standing a full seven foot tall suddenly sprang out of the mist, tackling Hank. He tried to struggle but the Beast was too strong. Grabbing him by his lab coat, the Beast picked him up and started to run. He had never done this before.  
Suddenly they came to a clearing. The dull, muted light of the forest became a shimmering meadow, bathed in sunlight. Wildflowers grew all around, and a small stream ran through the center. It was the most beautiful sight Hank had ever seen. He looked at the Beast. Its eyes locked on to his. There was such a look of pain and frustration there that Hank had never noticed. He almost felt sorry for him. The Beast set him down. He pointed his nose to the center of the clearing, and Hank's gaze followed. In the middle, Bobby lay sunbathing. He saw Hank and smiled. Hank tried to yell to warn him about the Beast. No sound came from his lips.  
Bobby looked puzzled and rose to his feet. The Beast ambled out of the woods toward him. Hank followed behind. Nothing about the Beast's posture said anything of aggression. The giant blue hulk stopped just in front of Bobby. It held its arms out to embrace the man, but somehow, Bobby didn't even see him. When he moved forward, he passed right through the Beast's body. Hank was stunned. He had no idea what had just happened.  
The Beast fell to his knees and bellowed. The pain and frustration that had been in it's eyes was given sound. Bobby stopped in front of Hank, who laid a hand on his shoulder. The Beast watched for a moment then turned away and started to shake. Pity filled Hank's heart. He walked over to his inner demon and held out his hand. The Beast looked at him with pure wonder in it's yellow glowing eyes. Eyes that suddenly looked far less fierce than they had before. The Beast gently took Hank's outstretched hand, and slowly stood. It looked into Hank's eyes for a moment, then walked forward, into him. Hank was suddenly filled with new desires, new hungers, new everything. The world around him changed, he could smell the dew on the leaves, he could hear distant birds in the trees, and feel the sunlight's warmth like never before. It wasn't the Beast trying to claw his way out any longer. Hank knew the battle was over. After so many years of fighting, both had finally won.  
Hank embraced Bobby tightly. It felt as if it were the first time. Bobby's gentle skin against the soft hair covering Hank's body felt wonderful, and for the first time, Hank allowed himself to enjoy it. He finally understood. 


	10. The Beast Within

10.  
  
An eerie silence had settled on the hallway outside the infirmary. No sound came through the doors, but it seemed as if everyone was straining to hear anyway. Jubilee sat with a horrified expression on her face. Storm stood next to the doorway looking introspective, tapping a long finger on her shoulder. Rogue and Gambit sat on the floor holding each other. Wolverine paced, looking angry.  
Cyclops sat on the floor. He had Bobby's note. He'd always noticed that Bobby had a few gay tendencies, but had never really put the pieces together. He was pretty dumb in that area. Was I responsible? Scott asked himself. It was after all, his team. He was in charge, which meant he insured the unit was functioning properly. How could he have missed this? Once again, he figured out what was going on, and once again, it was after the fact. He'd known Bobby really wasn't acting like himself the past few weeks. He'd been spending a lot of time with the two new mutants. Raien and Chimera. Scott didn't know what he thought about those two. They seemed to be nice enough people, but they slept together. And they made no effort to hide that fact. It disgusted him. 'And where are they now?' Scott wondered.  
It seemed like all of Bobby's friends were here except the pair. Scott huffed and folded the suicide note in half, placing it in his pocket. Right on cue, he heard clacking coming around the corner.  
"What happened!?" Raien asked gently. He and Chimera had confused and worried looks on their faces. They knew most of the people here at least in passing. It took a moment before someone responded.  
"Bobby..." Jubilee began, her eyes tearing up. "He... He tried to kill himself." Raien's eyes went wide, and Chimera gasped.  
"But He... No. We talked with him yesterday!" Raien tried to explain, as if it was impossible that such a thing could have happened.  
Scott stood, his hands in fists. He took the note out of his pocket and thrust it at Raien. Lucky for him, he couldn't feel the ice behind Scott's ruby glasses. Raien slowly took the note. He read it silently.  
"I... I didn't know..." Raien said, sounding withdrawn. He thought Bobby might have been gay because of all the questions he was asking about him and Chimera's relationship, but that wasn't always an indicator. They'd only recently found out they weren't straight. Raien thought about what it would have been like if he were to discover that about himself without having someone he loved to go through it with. He empathized with Bobby. When he'd first discovered he was a mutant, he'd actually tried to kill himself as well. It was not something he was proud of. He'd jumped from a bridge back home. At the last second, just before he hit the river below, he lost the nerve and his power saved him. Bobby didn't have that luxury.  
Scott was fuming. "This..." he started "This is your-" He was cut off by Chimera stepping forward suddenly and picking him up off the floor with one meaty arm. Chimera slammed him against the wall, a snarl on his face.  
"You shut your mouth. I've seen the way you look at Raien and me." Chimera's eyes glittered with malice, so against his very nature. Scott was in shock. He reached toward his glasses. "Try it!" Chimera growled, tightening his grip. "Its people like you that made Bobby do what he did. Hypocritical ass-holes like you. You're a mutant! You know what he's going through better than any Human can. And yet you turn your nose up. You make me sick." Chimera flung Scott to the floor. Scott looked around expecting help. No one offered anything. Jubilee looked like she wanted to smile. Wolverine had a thoughtful look on his face. Storm looked like she was about to step in. Both Rogue and Gambit nodded to Chimera.  
He stepped back behind Raien. Scott rose, brushed himself off, and stalked off down the hallway. Chimera's eyes followed him until he'd rounded a corner.  
"Ah couldn'ta said it better mahself." Rogue said. "That man's been bothering me for years. Ah'm glad someone had the gall to put him in his place."  
"You... You all know about us?" Raien asked slowly.  
Jubilee looked up, a knowing look on her face, almost made comical by her age. "Sure do. I think you two are really brave. Especially you, Chimera." Chimera blushed, which was somehow apparent even through the fur on his face.  
Suddenly Wolverine stopped pacing, and Chimera's head jerked to the side, both his and Logan's ears twitching. Wolverine looked as if he'd just been punched. Chimera looked like he was going to be sick.  
"No..." Storm said looking between the two men. Time froze for everyone in the hallway. No one wanted to believe what the two men's facial expressions told them was going on in the room. Chimera and Logan were the only two who could possibly hear through the door. Jubilee started to cry. Chimera bent down and picked her up into his strong arms and told her it was going to be okay. She cried into his shoulder.  
Logan's knees seemed to buckle, and he found himself sitting on his ass. He could hear the tone of the heart monitor. It was solid. Bobby's heart had stopped. He'd always liked that kid. Been a little uncomfortable at the crush Bobby'd had on him, but got used to it. Real potential, that boy had. Everyone knew it. He was the only student who had never missed one of his Karate Classes. Logan wanted to hit something. He wanted to tear something down. He stood up, making a fist. He was about to slam it into the wall when the tone skipped. Then it fell back into a rhythm. His eyes widened and he smiled. Chimera gasped again, and Jubilee stopped crying.  
Suddenly Jean came through the door, blocking the path of anyone who tried to enter. "Bobby is going to make it." She said happily. Everyone sighed, and it seemed as though a thousand pounds had lifted off of everyone's shoulders. "Where's Scott?" Jean asked, puzzled at why the infamous team leader was not present.  
"Ah think he went to do some thinkin'" Rogue said, smiling. "Ah think you need to have a talk with yer man, Hun... He woulda said something awful if a certain sexy lion hadn't taught 'im a lesson in bigotry."  
Jean's eyes narrowed. "I think I will... But the important thing is that Bobby is alright. I want to say right now that none of you are to blame." she said. Raien was looking at the floor.  
"Ah think she's talkin' to ya, Blue-eyes... Scott can be a real jackass sometimes. Don't take much of what he says to heart." Rogue said warmly. Raien met her gaze and inclined his head. He knew it wasn't his fault, but the thought had lurked in the back of his head, made stronger by what Scott suggested earlier.  
  
*******  
  
Emma woke slowly to silence. Nothing around her made any sound. Her head felt as though it could split in two. She sat up, then stood on wobbly legs. She felt drained. The inhibitor collar still fastened around her neck. A mere annoyance. Since the first time she'd been allowed to have it off, she'd implanted a sort of mental program into the head guard's subconscious. A catch phrase was all she had to say and he would do anything she asked. First, she'd had him render the collar inoperable, yet still appear to be working. Then she'd had him do several things around the sanctuary for her. That time was at an end though. She suddenly realized that she was surrounded by bodies. Their faces twisted and frozen in terror.  
Emma realized that the silence was not just silence. Something was gone from the world. She felt alone. Vulnerable. She had to get out of that room. She ran out the door only to find more bodies the same as the ones inside. Emma screamed as she turned and fled down the hallway. She rounded the corner only to find more. Three men in FoH uniforms and one woman, a greenish hue to her skin, and a collar around her neck had died where they stood. They looked up at her through glassy eyes which seemed to burn into her own. Her head throbbed, nearly knocking her over. She wondered what had happened for a moment, then memories came crashing in.  
She was responsible for all of this. She needed fresh air. Now. Emma ran for one of the doors which lead to a courtyard. Corridors passed by as she ran, tears blurring her vision. She burst through the door suddenly expecting fresh air, but the stench of death was all that filled her lungs. Dozens of bodies all around her. She screamed. She couldn't get away. Bodies. All around. Her fault. She could hear Elisha's disappointed crying in the back of her head.  
Emma ran from the place screaming and crying hysterically. The eyes of those bodies burned into the back of her head as if all of them were staring at her. She ran, but she knew she'd never escape them. Ever.  
  
*******  
  
"Dr. McCoy?" Jubilee asked, waking Hank. He sat up suddenly, and she gasped when he opened his eyes. They were glowing yellow.  
"Jubilee. I'm sorry, I must have dozed off. How can I help you?" he said as if nothing were out of the ordinary.  
"Your eyes..." she said taking a step back.  
"Glowing? Yes, that would make perfect sense." He smiled in a way that Jubilee had never seen before. Usually Hank was so reserved, hardly making eye contact, even when he was talking to you. Now he just stared at his hands, flexing them, then stood.  
"Are you alright?" she asked  
Hank laughed, a low rumbling sound. "Never felt better. What can I help you with?"  
"I... Uh... I just like wanted to know how Bobby was doing."  
Hank's face took a concerned tone to it, and he checked over the monitor again. "Bobby has stabilized. He's still asleep, but he should be back on his feet in a few days. The blood that Chimera gave earlier was instrumental in saving him. I must remember to thank him."  
"Uh... That's good to hear. You sure you're alright though?" Jubilee was looking for an excuse to leave without sounding rude or hurting anyone's feelings. Hank just smiled at her and nodded slowly. She finally heard the door hiss open behind her and ducked out quickly. She had to find Jean. Something just wasn't right here.  
  
*******  
  
Hank returned to his patient. His hands trembled as he touched Bobby's shoulder. For part of him, it was the first time he'd laid his hands on him. His body pulsed with new emotions, new sensations, and fewer inhibitions. He hadn't thought about what he was doing at the time, but in helping the beast, in realizing that he was only half a man without that part of himself, he had merged with it. It was the best thing he'd ever done.  
"I'm sorry I didn't realize sooner, my friend." Hank whispered.  
Bobby's eyes slowly cracked open. "Hank?" he asked, his voice barely a whisper.  
Hank's heart nearly leapt through his chest. "I'm here." he said simply. A tear fell from the side of Bobby's face.  
"I'm sorry." he said in a shaky whisper "I'm so sorry, Hank."  
Hank put a finger to Bobby's lips. "Shhh. It is I who am sorry."  
Bobby's face became mildly confused.  
"Your vitals are stabilizing. All you need now is a few days of rest. I think your quarters might be a better place for that. May I take you there?" he asked slowly.  
"I'd like that." Bobby said, sounding a little bit stronger.  
Hank smiled, removed the IV and monitoring equipment, then gently picked him up, carrying him in front of him easily. Bobby loved the feeling. Being held this way carried something primal with it. He felt so safe within those arms. It was worth going back to his depressing room just for the trip there. He lay his head on Hank's shoulder. He wished this could be something permanent, but he knew Hank wasn't like that. All the poetry over his lost love, Trish confirmed that. Bobby started to feel the depression come back, sinking its claws into him again. He tried to just enjoy the warmth of Hank's embrace while he had it.  
Bobby realized he loved him, but it really didn't come as a shock. He'd known it forever, just never really realized it. Who could help themselves? Hank was perfect. He was so caring, so tolerant, and damn cute too. Bobby smiled for a moment. But Hank was straight, and Bobby was going to respect that. He hated people who pushed their ideals out in front of people. He just wanted people to accept him for what he was and move on. He felt the pain from his wrists again. He'd really been stupid thinking he could just end it. Next time...  
Bobby heard soft sobbing, and it took a moment to register that it was his own. They were in his room. Hank lay him down on his bed gently. When he withdrew his arms, it was as if the sun had set. The cold room reminded him so much of why he'd tried in the first place.  
"Hank?" he asked. His voice broke. "Do you have to leave?"  
A moment later, Hank returned with a blanket. "No, Bobby. I don't. I don't ever have to leave if you'll let me stay." Bobby was confused. And why were Hank's eyes glowing? That didn't matter. What had he said? What did he mean? Before he came to his own conclusion about what that could possibly mean, Bobby looked him in the eyes.  
"You don't mean..." Bobby began.  
Hank walked over to the rack of movies, and picked out a sufficiently cheesy horror flick. He placed it in the dvd player, and turned on the television. Bobby looked as if he were about to start crying again. Hank returned to the bed holding something behind his back.  
"Close your eyes." Hank whispered. Bobby did. His heart raced. His head swam. Hank couldn't have meant... No. No. Hank was straight. He couldn't get his hopes up. He felt breath on his face. No. It couldn't be. He couldn't be about to... No. Straight. Bobby's body tensed. He felt a hand on the back of his head and then something soft touch his lips. It pushed past them, and suddenly Bobby's eyes flew open. A Twinkie. It was a Twinkie. Both he and Hank started laughing, Bobby spilling crumbs into the soft hair on Hank's chest.  
"I don't ever want you to be alone again, Bobby." Hank said softly.  
Bobby couldn't believe what was happening here. He wanted to reach up and just hug Hank, but his body just didn't have the strength. Instead, he just collapsed onto him, letting Hank pick him up and sit him down in front of him, Bobby's back pressed to his chest. Large arms encircled him, his head rested on a generous bicep. Legs intertwined with his, and Bobby smiled.  
The woman on the television screamed as some absurdly grotesque monster crept toward her. Anything even remotely dark was banished from him. While Hank was here, none of Bobby's many demons had any teeth. He just lay there content, feeling the heat of Hank's body warm his soul. For the first time, Bobby knew that Hank wouldn't leave when the movie was over. Bobby heard him chuckle, and mutter "What was right in front of me." He sighed and they both just lay there, the box of Twinkies ignored, but not for too much longer.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
If you're enjoying my tale, please send feedback. You'll get the next chapter faster for it, I promise ;) 


	11. Healing

Hank lay with Bobby. It was late afternoon by now, and they'd finished their movie. Bobby had passed out halfway through, but Hank was there to make sure it was only because he was worn out. It would take time for him to fully heal, but the wounds on his wrists were already closed. This fascinated Hank. Chimera's blood could be a new medical breakthrough if Hank could lock down exactly what made it heal so rapidly. He put that off for later. Right now, Bobby lay in his arms, asleep.  
Half of him had wanted this for years. More than anything in the world, just to hold him. The other had been too dense to realize he wanted the same thing. Hank smiled. It was truly amazing how intelligent people could be idiots at the same time. Hank put his arm around Bobby's chest and inhaled deeply, his new senses capturing Bobby's scent. It was that same smell of a crisp winter morning. Hank couldn't get enough. He smiled as he started drifting off to sleep again.  
  
*******  
  
Cyclops walked slowly to the infirmary. He hoped he didn't run into the rest of the team right now. After that scene with Chimera, he felt so embarrassed. He'd never really thought so far into his own feelings. He knew he didn't like the idea of homosexuality. He thought it was dirty, and not what God intended. But was it up to him to judge people? He'd been thinking the same thing for most of the morning and into the afternoon. It was one thing to be embarrassed. It was another thing entirely to not come see how a team mate was doing. He had to do this, regardless of how he felt about Iceman's chosen lifestyle.  
He finally made it to the infirmary. He'd expected the doors to open for him, but when they didn't, he collided roughly with them. Scott was confused. Hank had a patient who needed constant care. Where was he, and why would he lock the door? He pressed the door release and a short message appeared on the control pad. A room number. Bobby's room number. Scott had a sinking feeling.  
  
*******  
  
A door chime sounded, bringing Hank out of a pleasant nap. He started untangling himself from Bobby.  
"Enter." he said, Bobby had woken up and though still to weak to even sit up, he didn't look all that happy to be separated from him. Hank smiled again. The doors opened, and Scott took a step through the doorway.  
"Hank, I..." His jaw dropped when he saw Hank crawling out of the bed.  
"Scott. What can I do for you." Hank asked anyway.  
"You... No...I..." Scott mumbled.  
"Are you alright?" Hank asked. He knew damn well what was going on here. He'd seen it coming. He knew that Scott was not the most open minded of the team. Silence passed for a moment as he looked between Hank and Bobby incredulously. This was not what Bobby needed right now.  
"Scott, will you please join me in the hallway?" Hank asked pleasantly enough. "Bobby needs some rest and relaxation, I do not want him in any undue stress."  
"Uh... Yeah. Sure Hank." was the reply.  
Hank walked out into the hallway and motioned for Scott to follow. "I do not wish to leave Bobby alone for too long. Is there something I can help you with?" It really wasn't a question, more of a polite thing.  
"I just wanted to see how Bobby was doing. Is he alright?"  
"Yes. He will be fine. Either myself or another of the team will be with him at all times for a while, though I don't object to devoting my time to him for at least a few days." Hank said smoothly. He knew this was not going to stay such a pleasant conversation.  
Scott looked relieved. "Oh... So its not..." he laughed. Laughed. The hair on Hank's neck stood on end. "I thought for a minute that you were... I mean it seems like everyone is turning gay these days..." Scott trailed off when he saw the expression on Hank's face.  
"If I am, Cyclops, it is surely none of your business. Bobby is of consenting age, and if we were to choose to, there is nothing that you or anyone could do. Furthermore, I suggest you alter your attitude on this subject. I am aware of what occurred outside my infirmary this morning between you and Chimera. You do not have to be a homosexual yourself, but surely as a mutant you know what he is going through. You have no right to criticize him. I am not saying that his suicide attempt was your fault, simply that those kind of glances and comments are not conducive to proper morale." Hank really had not meant this to become a speech, but he was beginning to get worked up.  
Scott took a step back. It looked as if he'd just had the carpet pulled out from under him. His lip curled in disgust. Obviously Hank's words had fallen on deaf ears. The beast inside him suggested a few possible courses of action, most of which ended messily.  
Hank growled. "Is there a problem?"  
Scott had never seen Hank angry. He'd seen him heartbroken, happy, the whole spectrum of emotions except this. For some reason, Scott felt as though he had to defend himself. The confrontation with Chimera this morning had left him embarrassed and pissed off. Hank was an easy target anyway.  
"Yeah, I do have a problem. What is he doing in his quarters? What are you doing in his bed?" He asked curtly. He seemed oblivious to what the course of the conversation was doing to Hank. Usually, he would have just backed down, agreeing to disagree. This time, something as different, but Scott didn't know that.  
Hank started to shake. "May I remind you that I am the doctor here? It didn't occur to you that I know what I'm doing?" If Scott opened his mouth, Hank was going to shut it for him. "And whom I choose to be in bed with is NONE of your business. I suggest you be on your way." Hank's back was arched, and his lips were peeling back, just barely showing teeth. Hank felt strange... he couldn't really describe the sensation. Territorial seemed to fit closely. Hank blocked the doorway. Something about what Scott was saying stirred emotions deep within him.  
Scott didn't take the clue. "You couldn't at least have waited? He just tried to kill himself and now you're fuck-" ***CRACK***  
Hank's fist landed squarely on Scott's nose. He felt it snap crisply, then crunch as he followed through with the punch. Scott's head slammed into the wall behind him, and Hank was surprised the ruby-quartz glasses survived. Hank turned and pressed a button making Bobby's doors hiss open. He then touched the button below it and entered a code combination.  
"Jean here, what's the problem?"  
"Jean, one of the children from the nursery found his way to Bobby's quarters and has a broken nose. If you don't mind setting it, I'd appreciate it. I don't think you'd want me doing it at the moment." Hank said as if he hadn't just assaulted the team leader and her mate. There was silence for a moment. Obviously Jean was getting the rest of the story from Scott, who lay still trying to figure out what kind of truck had hit him.  
"I'll be there in a few minutes. I have to..." She paused "Wash my hair..." Hank smiled. If the illustrious Team Leader thought he was through the worst of it, he was gravely mistaken. He let the door close behind him, taking one look back, making it seem like a cold glance, but also checking to make sure he'd not seriously injured Scott.  
Bobby was staring at him, his expression was so confused it was totally unreadable.  
"Uh... wow Hank." Bobby stuttered, still trying to comprehend what happened. Hank was amazed. Bobby was already sitting up. On his own. He was going to talk to Chimera later if he could, to thank him and also to get some more of his blood. The healing properties it carried were amazing. If only he could figure out the genetic-  
That would have to be saved for another day. He sighed and looked down at his fist. It was still throbbing a little from the blow, but he felt wonderful. His adrenaline pumping, his heart pumping strongly. "I... I probably should not have done that." Hank began. "I couldn't stand what he was saying about you. The notion that I would place your life in danger so I could get into bed with you..." Hank realized what he'd just said. He'd really had no physical attraction to Bobby, or to anyone for that matter, but in the last few days, much about him had changed dramatically. He realized that the attraction was there, it was just one of the many emotions he'd buried to keep the Beast at bay. Bobby was still his friend, the closest one he'd ever had. But he was also something more now. Hank had no problems laying anyone out who spoke badly of his friend, but the sensation he'd gotten only moments before had been something different entirely. Had he let the Beast have his way...  
Bobby blinked. "Wait... 'so I could get into bed with you'? Is that one of those... Frudan slips?"  
Hank chuckled, and grinning, he said "Freudian. And I guess it was..."  
Bobby did a double take. "I... Somehow I thought all this was to make me not want to... I mean, I... Wait. I thought you were..." Bobby trailed off, not wanting to insult Hank. He could have been misreading this whole thing. Its not like he and Hank hadn't fallen asleep on one another. Granted, Bobby usually didn't wake up surrounded by him, but he hadn't really been thinking about it.  
"Bobby, a lot of things happened recently. I learned a lot about myself over the past few days." Hank move back to the bed and slowly crawled in, so that he could be closer to Bobby. He took one of his hands into his own, still amazed at how delicate they looked to him. "You really are beautiful." Hank suddenly felt stupid. Usually he had such great tact. All the Shakespeare in the world didn't help him. He tried to call up a sonnet or something but it just wasn't working. He sighed and laid his head on the pillow, closing his eyes.  
He heard Bobby grunt, then felt weight on him. He opened his eyes to see Bobby grinning triumphantly. Hank smiled, and Bobby slowly inched closer to Hank's face.  
Part of Hank wanted to tear Bobby's clothes away just then. He knew that Bobby wasn't ready. It was too soon to- Hank gasped. Bobby's lips met his gently. Hank had kissed a girl once or twice, but never like this. Suddenly, Bobby's tongue passed through his lips, meeting his. They circled each other slowly.  
Hank brought his arms up and stroked the back of Bobby's head. This felt so good. He wanted it to go farther than kissing, but knew it was too soon. Without warning Hank gasped as a wave of pure pleasure shook his body followed by stinging cold. "Oh my stars..." Hank gasped again as he shook. "and.. Ga... oooh." He looked down to see Bobby's fingers circling one of his nipples. He had to stop this. It was too soon.  
"Bobby, we can't do this yet... its too early to-" Hank was interrupted by Bobby tonguing his nipple. He'd never felt anything like this. "Bobby, stop..." he said, his voice sounding far less convincing than he'd like. He sucked hard and Hank gasped again. Bobby let it go and smiled wickedly at him. Hank had to put and end to this, but he couldn't resist what Bobby was doing to him. Lips were back on his, and he felt pressure in his groin. He hadn't even realized it but he was hard. Bobby's hand was there, touching everything but what Hank wanted him so badly to touch. At the same time he fought himself, saying in his mind over and over 'Its too soon'.  
With all the sanity and strength of will he had, Hank grabbed Bobby's hands. "We can't do this, Bobby." He said, finally sounding more convincing. He looked into Bobby's eyes and saw severe disappointment there. Suddenly a twinkle in his eye. Hank's eyes narrowed, and seconds later he felt both of his nipples freeze. Hank gasped in cold sharp pain and hot pleasure, the combination making him lose his grip.  
Bobby lay against his torso, his head resting just under Hank's navel. "If this is too soon for you, Hank, I can wait." He said slowly.  
"Too soon? For me?" Hank chuckled. "The things I want to do to you, Bobby..." Suddenly he realized he'd given Bobby the cue he needed. As if the throbbing hardness in his shorts was not enough on its own.  
Bobby grinned and inched himself lower until his breath was making Hank quiver. Hank gave up. Bobby could make this choice. Bobby slid a finger just under the tight shorts Hank loved to wear. It kindled in both men fiery desire. Bobby lingered there, and slowly ran his finger around the waist-band. He felt Hank throb. Slowly he pulled down and the shorts came off much easier than he'd expected. He looked up at Hank, to see intense hunger in is eyes, like a starving man who'd just found food. Something touched his chin. Looking down, he gasped. Hank was exactly proportional to his body, he was so big. It was Bobby's turn to look hungry. He leaned down and drew a lungful of Hank's musky scent. It smelled so good. He moved forward and tasted it. Hank gasped again, trying to say something, but couldn't get it out.  
Bobby traced wet circles on Hank's balls until he started to whimper. He moved his way up, dragging his tongue on Hank's shaft, savoring the sweet manly flavor of it. His own manhood throbbed now. He finally reached the tip, and licked the warm slit he found there, tasting Hank's salty-sweet pre-cum. He realized he was grinding on Hank's knee. Hank had stopped breathing, a gasp held in. Bobby took him into his mouth until he felt pressure on the back of his throat. Nearly gagging, he pulled back a little, but he wasn't ready to let go.  
Impossibly, Hank gasped again and exhaled. "Ooh Bobby..." his voice had become a deep rumble. "Auuuwwrrr..." he said, the sound hung in his chest. Hank was losing control of himself, and fast. Bobby's pace slowed. The arms he held himself up with began to waver, and Bobby had to release Hank from the tight embrace of his jaw. He was wearing out already. Hank pulled him up and rolled to lay Bobby on his back, leaving Hank on his side. Bobby was breathing heavy.  
"I'm sorry Hank.. I think I need a few minutes." Bobby said, looking unhappy with himself. Hank grinned a toothy grin, and stood next to the bed. Bobby was transfixed, his eyes locked on the primal masculine beauty in front of him. The way Hank stood made Bobby want him so badly. The way Hank was looking down at him hungrily made him smile. Slowly Hank moved to the foot of the bed, and crept up it, barely moving. Bobby's heart raced. Hank had the look of a great lion stalking prey. A low rumble came from his throat as he passed Bobby's knees, never once feeling him, just devouring the smell of him, the way his heart beat, the small sounds of longing that escaped his lips. Bobby's whole body craved his touch, ached for it. His body quivered with anticipation, and he hated Hank for doing this to him, but loved it at the same time.  
Hank lowered himself on Bobby's stomach, letting the fine hair on his face barely brush his skin. Bobby moaned softly, the muscles in his smooth stomach tightening. Hank tasted him. The sweet salt of his skin was intoxicating. Hank could taste Bobby's desire, it seeped into his body and took hold of him. He found a soft nipple, and heard Bobby gasp as it hardened under his tongue. He bit it, harder than he'd planned. Bobby nearly shrieked, but his breath caught in his throat when Hank's tongue returned.  
Hank's body rattled with pure want. The feelings and desires of his body hot in his chest, need burning him alive. He lost himself in Bobby's scent for a moment, then kissed him passionately. He never wanted this to end. He broke the kiss and move lower and hungrily trailed his tongue down Bobby's chest, stopping at the waist of his sweat pants. He closed his eyes, and Bobby whispered his need, how he wanted Hank, how beautiful he was. Hank pulled the pants away from his target, leaving Bobby in only a pair of boxer shorts. He nuzzled the thickness he found inside, breathing hot breath there, making Bobby throw his head from side to side and quiver. With an evil grin, he ripped the barrier away, earning a startled shriek from Bobby. He took him into his mouth, Bobby's taste itself bringing Hank close to release.  
Bobby wasn't large, but neither was he small. Hank loved it, it was so easy to take, and he could have it all. Hank fell into a rhythm, rocking the small bed, and Bobby cried out in amazement and wonder and pure sexual glee. This only spurred Hank on. He moved faster and harder, and when his jaw started to ache he worked that much harder.  
Between gasps, Bobby yelled "Oh... Hank... I... I'm going to..." And suddenly Hank's senses exploded. Flavor the likes of which he'd never even pondered flooded his whole body. Bobby shuddered and spasmed once more, and Hank's bobbing turned into gentle sucking. He wanted all of it. Hank's whole body throbbed again, and he released Bobby's spent member.  
He moved up, and knowing that Bobby was both warn out and not ready for the ways Hank wanted to ravage him, he pressed his body to him, and let his mind pretend he was inside him. Hank could already feel it welling up inside him. Bobby looked into his eyes with pure love, adoration, and happiness. It threw Hank over the edge. He gripped Bobby's sides and clenched his teeth. His body full of tremors, he suddenly bucked wildly, arched his back, and cried his lover's name as white hot release shook him. He collapsed on top of Bobby, taking care not to smother him.  
It occurred to him in a few moments that he may need a towel. He started to pull away, but Bobby held him by the waist, bent up, and kissed him.  
"Why did we have to wait so long to do that." Bobby said breathlessly. 


	12. Changes

12.  
  
Bobby woke, surrounded by warmth and fur. He sighed happily. Hank still slept, with Bobby laying on his broad chest. His body rose and fell with each breath Hank took. It was a wonderful feeling. The soft muscle surrounding him like a blanket. Bobby thought that if he turned into Iceman, he would literally melt. He took in the smell of him, of them together.  
Suddenly both of them jumped to a low bass sound coming from above them. Immediately an alarm sounded. "This is Cyclops. The mansion is under attack. Suit up."  
Hank was already up and getting back into his shorts when he saw Bobby trying to get back into his own clothing. He was still weak despite their activities last night. He was in no condition to fight. It was obvious to anyone, but the determination on his face said he would do it anyway.  
"Bobby... You're in no condition to..." Hank began slowly  
"I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." Bobby said, his voice less definitive than he'd intended. He changed to Iceman, and abruptly fell to his knees.  
"Bobby!" Hank cried catching him. Just turning to ice was too much for him right now.  
"Damn." Bobby said, allowing Hank to pick him up and returning to his normal form. The look of sheer worry in Hank's eyes forced him to agree to stay below.  
Hank had a bad feeling though. He knew that Bobby was happier now. He knew he wouldn't try anything. But the doubt was there. Hank didn't want to take any chances. He bolted out into the hallway with Bobby pressed to his chest. Immediately he saw Raien and Chimera. Raien was in a beautiful yet masculine black leather uniform bearing an X on the left breast. Hank smiled.  
Chimera did not look like he wanted to be there. Hank saw fear in his eyes and immediately his problem was solved. "Chimera. How are you with computers?" He asked.  
Chimera grinned "They were my only link to the outside world. I know enough."  
"Good. I need you and Bobby to take the cameras. Give us hostile positions. Can you do that?" Hank said sounding hurried.  
"Yes. I think I can."  
Hank nodded and beckoned the two to follow him down one of the side hallways. He stepped through one of the doors and into a room full of monitors, keyboards, and glowing panels. Chimera gasped. The technology in this room was unlike anything he'd ever seen. It must have cost a fortune for this room alone.  
Hank looked into Bobby's eyes, and kissed him quickly, but passionately, nipping his lip, then grinning and pulling away.  
"Don't go anywhere. We'll take care of this." Hank said to both Chimera and Bobby. Raien shared a quick smile with Chimera, a hug, then both Hank and Raien were off.  
  
The elevator doors opened and the whole Mansion shook. The rest of the team was already there. They looked angry.  
"What's going on?" Raien asked.  
"The Friends of Humanity apparently. They're shelling us." said Wolverine looking... Hungry. The kind of hunger that only would be satisfied by sticking his claws into several of the men outside.  
The windows were all covered with thick plated steel, but they could hear the sounds outside. Yelling. Gunfire. Explosions. Hank's lips curled back in disgust. He hated all of these things. They dragged him from the only place in the world he wanted to be at the moment. In bed. With Bobby. And as soon as this was over, that was where he was going. He felt new things though, a certain eagerness, and confidence. Like some great warrior heading into battle. He was going to crack some heads.  
Raien looked around, feeling a little bit awkward. Since talking to the professor late last night, he'd been officially part of the team. He'd expressed the interest, and the professor had fully supported him. A few hours later, he had his own uniform, and had talked, though grudgingly to Scott. He had to keep himself from smiling at the bruising Hank had given him. Cyclops had kept it totally professional though, which Raien was grateful for.  
Chimera hadn't wanted him to do it, but promised to support him either way. Raien knew Chimera wasn't a fighter. It just wasn't a part of him. Raien on the other hand... He flexed his gloved hands, and reached behind his back, retrieving two tonfas. Raien had always liked this weapon. It was more or less a foot and a half long stick with a protruding handle toward one end. And they were as black as midnight. Raien felt ready for anything the world could throw at him.  
The professor spoke. "Our defenses have been wiped out. If they continue the way they are going, they will get inside. If that happens, I do not want to ponder the consequences. You must stop them. For the sake of the students. Stop them."  
Cyclops nodded and Nightcrawler had everyone gather close. He laid his hands on their shoulders. "Van. Two. Sree."  
And suddenly they were outside. The smoke cleared and they moved without words. FoH was all around them. There must be hundreds of soldiers all stunned at the sudden appearance. The X-men knew it would last only a few seconds.  
Rogue flew high into the air, Gambit in her arms bearing a decidedly evil look. And strapped all over his body were... Playing cards. Raien suddenly smiled too. He knew what Gambit's powers were. Rogue swooped low near the street, where their mortars were set up. They tried to shoot her down, but turned to run when they saw hundreds of glowing orange Cards screaming their way to the ground below.  
Under cover of night, Raien crept, using the skills he'd honed running from these people in the first place. No one could hear him. With his new uniform no one could see him either. The sky suddenly lit up as something exploded and the nearest FoH spotted him, leveling his weapon. Raien smiled as he threw himself toward the soldier. He brought his tonfas around, whipping one to deflect the rifle and the other crashing into the soldier's neck. He didn't even have the chance to scream. Raien fell into a dark looking dance as he moved from soldier to soldier. Suddenly three surrounded him all bearing knives. Raien's eyes glowed like the sun for an instant as the flame surrounded him. He inverted and the three soldiers fell to the ground as feet and cold wood assailed them from impossible angles. Raien righted himself, but where 3 had fallen 5 took their place. He started backing up.  
Looking around, everyone was doing the same. Hank had a soldier in each hand throwing them at their comrades like boulders. Gambit had been shot. Rogue was trying to care for him and fend off FoH at the same time. Storm seemed to be surrounded by bodies. The professor said into their minds one word. Retreat. Raien knew that Bobby and Chimera must be doing their jobs, reporting to the professor all they saw, letting him provide information as he saw the need. Raien backed up, the blue fire crackling around him in a menacing light.  
Suddenly one of the FoH rose into the air. It must be Jean's doing. The soldier looked different though. He wore a sleek black suit with a mask covering his face, and several hoses leading from a tank on his back to it. Raien suddenly had a very bad feeling. The bottoms of the soldier's feet glowed as if he were standing on a pair of white discs. Raien dodged a blow from one of the FoH around him and rammed his elbow into the man's chest, while continuing to wonder what was going on. His hair stood on end. But it wasn't part of the bad feeling he had in the pit of his stomach. Hank was spinning on the balls of his feet as he launched a soldier at the one floating in the sky. The soldier held out a hand toward his flying comrade and a hole appeared in front of him. It burned with white hot crackling energy, and the soldier's comrade disappeared as it closed behind him.  
Hank stood dumbfounded. Without warning the ground around him fell away into the same white void as he had just witnessed. Raien saw him clawing for the edges and cried out trying to run for him. He knew he would be too late. Just before the energy winked out, he heard Hank scream Bobby's name.  
Raien took a step back. His chest constricted with rage and hate. Hank was one of his friends. He had saved his life. Now he was... Gone. His eyes flashed with pure unbridled malice. He crouched down, his whole body shaking, staring at his hands. Something inside him broke free and the fire around him burned white-hot. He rolled all the rage, hate, and anger he had into one feeling and threw it at the man flying above. The ground around him shook softly as bits of it and scattered weapons and shell casings lifted off the ground. A burning ball of white... White pain flew at the soldier, trailing behind it anything not tied down.  
Raien suddenly collapsed. The last thing he could see was the soldier in the air crumple like paper. The sickening sound of bones snapping and gurgled screams and hissing air hoses hung in his mind as he lost consciousness.  
  
*******  
  
Raien woke slowly. His whole body ached. He heard beeping. Infirmary. He was in the Infirmary. He was a little confused, then he remembered what had happened.  
"Hank!" he yelled sitting bolt upright.  
"Shhh." Jean hissed at him nodding toward Bobby laying in the next bed down. He was in his Iceman form and unconscious. Raien looked back to Jean and her expression knocked the breath from his lungs. If Bobby is here, then where is Chimera? he thought to himself. He had a very, very bad feeling.  
"Jean, what happened?" He asked, tears already in his eyes. He didn't want to hear the answer. He didn't want to hear what it could mean.  
"The Friends of Humanity attacked. And they had something else with them. I couldn't sense him, no mental attack worked on him. All I know is that he was not a mutant. When you..." Jean paused a moment and shivered. "When you took him out, the soldiers ran." She looked hard at him. "I wanted to run too."  
Raien gulped. He knew the X-Men didn't kill. He looked at the floor. She hadn't fully answered his question, and he knew why even before he asked. "Chimera?"  
Jean's expression turned from mild horror to compassion. "I... I'm sorry Raien. He was taken through whatever took Hank. We're trying to find them as we speak." She rubbed her temples. "All I know is that they're west of here somewhere."  
Raien had been holding his breath. He let it out slowly, his mouth open and a tear threatened to roll down his face. He felt as though half of him had been ripped away. It was a part of himself he was going to regain.  
Raien threw his legs over the side of the bed. He was going to get Chimera. And he was going to make FoH pay. His feet hit the ground. His knees buckled and the floor broke his fall. Jean jumped up scowling.  
"You're going to need at least a day or two of bed rest. Whatever you did knocked you out." She looked at him a little strangely, as if seeing something new. She shook her head and used her telekinesis to place him back on the bed. "Rest. I'll go get you something to eat."  
The air carried a kind of hostility to Raien's eyes. They burned, and he wanted to cry. He wanted to just break down. But he wanted more than anything to be wrapped in Chimera's arms. He lay down, staring at the ceiling for a few minutes, then looked at Bobby. His Iceman form really was stunningly beautiful. The way the dim light was filtered and refracted a thousand different times in his body gave it a kind of shimmer that was more than a little pleasing to the eye. Raien looked back at the ceiling. He really was tired, despite how badly he wanted to go after Chimera.  
He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing in the way his Morlock Sensei had taught him. He emptied his mind and listened to the beating of his heart. The soothing rhythm eased his body.  
"CHIMERA!!" Bobby suddenly yelled, ripping Raien out of his trance. Jean came through the door a moment later bearing a tray of food. She nearly dropped it when she saw Bobby sitting up, a look of confusion and shock on his face. His eyes searched hers and glittered as they watered. He seemed to look around while never taking his eyes from Jean's. "Where's..."  
Jean looked at him and her heart broke when she saw his face. "I'm sorry, Bobby. He was taken with Chimera." A small gasp, then another. The temperature of the room dropped several degrees, the air taking on an icy feel. Bobby shuddered, silvery tears of ice flowing down his crystalline face. The room grew colder. And colder.  
"Bobby..." Jean whispered looking like a mother who wanted to comfort her child. Bobby shook. His body seemed to grow, his shoulders forming into plates of black ice. Small crystals grew all around him. Raien shivered as the room dropped well below freezing. "Bobby!" Jean exclaimed.  
Fear in Bobby's eyes now. The air spun around him and pillars of ice rose from the floor. "I... I can't..." Bobby gasped through the shaking. "Control..." Suddenly huge spines of ice jutted from the pillars. Raien barely got off the bed before the small mattress was impaled by them. Jean tried to knock him out with a blast from her mind, but as with the light around him, it seemed to refract and become harmless. The spines around him intertwined. Hundreds of them, coming from nowhere until you could only vaguely see his form through them. Then they stopped.  
Jean looked at Raien, her eyes wide, and the sudden silence of the room seemed more biting than the severe cold. Raien looked hard into the mass of dark ice crystals, Bobby was there, unmoving, but breathing.  
"Is he alright?" Raien asked Jean. It took her a moment to respond, she was staring at the ice as if by the power of her mind, she could melt it.  
"He is. I think." She had such a confused look to her. "Something is changing. Slowly, but something is definitely happening in there."  
Raien realized he was on his feet. The burst of adrenaline had given him the strength to stand. That strength was fading. His power sprang to life around him to keep him standing, but it wasn't as it was normally. The fire burned white. Raien could feel something else too. He concentrated in front of him and seemed to fall toward it, stopping when he got there. Jean was looking from Bobby inside his cocoon of ice to Raien in his private inferno and back again. She looked as though her head hurt.  
  
*******  
  
Hank woke suddenly to darkness and the sobs and wails of several people around him. He was in a large cell. His head hurt as though he'd been hit by a truck. A familiar voice next to him. It was Chimera. One of his eyes was swollen shut and he cradled his left arm. He looked scared and heartbroken. Hank put an arm around his friend. They sat in the corner of the cell, Hank doing his best to comfort Chimera.  
His mind worked also on a plan to escape. At the moment there were several unknowns. The first of which being how they got there. FoH was not averse to using mutants if it benefited their greater good, but what he'd seen the night before seemed eerily similar to something he'd read about on the mutant forums. Transpeciesism. That's what they called it. A man named John Sublime had written a book charting the course of human evolution, and stated that humans could become something like mutants through surgical grafts. Hank had not thought too much about the subject, and had been intrigued enough to read into it. However, several pages into the man's book, Hank knew he was clearly insane. He called mutants the 'Lesser Race', but rumor had it, this Sublime wanted to be a mutant himself secretly.  
Hank shook his head. That must have been what they'd witnessed the night before. He looked up. He assumed it had been the night before, but he couldn't see the outside at all. It was a disconcerting feeling not knowing if it was night or day.  
Hank thought some more on the subject. The fundamental problem Hank had found with this Transpeciesism was that to graft the organs of a mutant would require... Suddenly it made a horrifying kind of sense. They weren't here as prisoners.  
The door opened to admit two men in the same sleek looking space suit that the man had been wearing the night before. The taller of the two pointed to a mutant toward the front.  
"This one's a Pyrokenetic. Take him." Came the cold emotionless voice from behind the mask. Hank looked at Chimera, and for the first time in years, he was very, very afraid. 


	13. Chicken Soup

Raien moved slowly from form to form, trying to clear a troubled mind. He knew it was futile. The only thing that could help him now was to see Chimera's blue eyes looking into his. To be wrapped in him. He had to stop for a moment and scream at nothing. He had to vent some of his frustration. His cry echoed in the darkened gym. He went back to his form, moving faster. A moment later, it became more acrobatic. Aerial kicks, flips and tumbles joined his deadly dance.  
The fire sprang to life around him. It burned white. He'd tried all morning to make it blue, but to no avail. Even is eyes would not do this for him. He'd discovered something new though. He'd always been able to ignore the pull of gravity. Now it was something more. He stopped in mid- air. Until this morning, it was not something he could do. He concentrated in front of him and fell to it. He was beginning to get acclimatized to the feeling. It was extremely disorienting at first, but he was rapidly gaining control. He was going to master these new gifts as he had his old. He was going to harness them and use them to their full extent against his enemy. Now though, he needed something more than a simple form. He needed to beat the hell out of something.  
The punching bag in the corner already was in ruins. One kick with his new abilities had ripped the thick canvas and the stuffing lay all over that part of the gym. He needed something that would hit him back. He thought of going to find Wolverine, but given his new power, he did not want to severely injure the man. He wanted something he could destroy.  
There was a door on the far side of the gym, on the opposite wall of the locker rooms. Raien had never even wondered what might be behind it. He wiped the sweat from his forehead as he stepped toward it. There was a control panel next to it. Three holes in the key pad made it obvious that someone had forgotten the pass code and had used another way to get in. Raien smiled. He was really beginning to like this Wolverine. He punched it, shattering the display, and the doors opened.  
As soon as the dim lights came on, Raien smiled. This was exactly what he needed. He saw several bladed arms already locking on to him. Several pulse cannons leveled at him. His inferno blazed around him and his dance began.  
  
Scott walked into the gym for his usual early morning workout. At least it had become usual now. Since his run in with both Chimera and Hank, he'd chosen to do more in private. He looked in the corner where the punching bag always hung. The top of it was still there, but it looked like someone had slashed it with a sword. Scott muttered the name Wolverine before heading toward the weight bench in the back of the room. He heard several small explosions beyond it. He gasped. Someone was in the danger room. It was not simulating. The danger room was set to eliminate an intruder foolish enough to walk in. Whomever was in there was going up against every automated defense modern technology could throw at him. Quickly he ran to the door ready to terminate the defenses. The control panel was destroyed. He pushed his fingers frantically into the door and cracked it open, then opened it all the way.  
He stepped through and there was silence. The whole room was engulfed in smoke. Debris crunched under his feet. "Computer! Vents!" he yelled. Normally a crisp female voice responded, but only static replied to him. The air cleared suddenly though, and Scott wanted to take a step back. What he saw scared him deeply.  
Raien stood atop a mound of broken blades, ruined pulse cannons, and other random pieces of the room. His tonfas shining, black as midnight, extended to either side, as he knelt on one knee. His eyes closed and his chest heaving, he smiled. It was far from a happy smile. It carried with it the feeling of danger, that at any moment the man could become a swirling force of destruction. Scott stepped back. Raien looked up, opening his eyes. It was the most disturbing thing Scott had ever seen. He remembered the time he accidentally forgot to input the proper program for the danger room to run. He had only been in for a few seconds and he'd nearly died.  
Raien stared at him, those piercing now white eyes searing his soul. Scott took another step back. Something about the situation made the leader of the X-men, a man who could melt steel with his eyes, want to turn, scream and run. Like a twelve year old girl.  
"I'm ready." Raien breathed.  
  
Bobby was aware. The ice surrounding him fed him. It nourished him, rebuilding him to an end he didn't yet know. He was one with the cold around him, and it was one with him. He'd always been insecure. He'd always worried about what his powers could do to the ones he loved. Since his parents had abandoned him, the only friends and family he'd known had been the X-Men. He'd never really been one of the team though. He made mistakes, and on some level, he knew it was because of the worry. He constantly feared hurting them.  
He would get to a certain point, where if he lost his concentration for a second, bad things would happen. It was what had given him away to his parents. He'd known he was a mutant long before what happened in the kitchen, but he'd hid the fact extremely well. He'd been beaten up by one of his classmates. It left him with a bloody nose and a black eye, but he knew it could have been worse. His father had called him a pussy for crying. Bobby had lost it. He had been standing there, sipping a cup of water when it froze solid. He was so angry that he didn't know what was going on. The next thing he knew, he was standing amid a field of ice, shards of it frozen as if they were swirling around him. The whole room had been covered in tiny, shimmering ice crystals. His whole life had changed that day. His parents had thrown him onto the streets with nothing but the clothes on his back. His father had tossed him out. His mother had done nothing.  
Now Bobby lay in what had begun that fateful day. He'd finally lost control again. Dimly, he thought, surrounded by silence. He had to get Hank back. It was so cold. He wanted nothing more in the whole world than to surround himself in blue fur and... Thaw. The ice was changing him, and while Bobby couldn't move and his thoughts came slowly, he knew he was becoming stronger. He knew that the ice surrounding him offered him the tools he needed to rescue his love. And on some level he was aware that he was crossing a line. He was willing to pay any price it asked.  
  
Hank looked up when the doors opened. They'd brought more mutants. He noted the procedure the guards followed when opening the door. He was pondering how he could use it to his advantage when he saw something. He'd been so wrapped up in planning an escape that he'd not looked at the two new mutants. Both lay in a heap on the floor. It didn't register for a moment, but they were both female. Hank gasped as he saw something that would change his life. The remains of a yellow trench coat. He leapt to his feet and scooped the girl into his arms.  
She screamed and fought him, though it was obvious she'd already lost off of her strength. Her body shook and Hank's world shattered when he looked into her eyes. What he found there was unmistakable. The terror, hopelessness, and sickly look there stabbed into his soul. There was no question what they'd done to her. The flaked dry residue on her upper lip completed the picture and Hank wanted to vomit.  
"Jubilee..." Hank said, trying to come up with something to ease the pain. He gave up, realizing that no simple words could help her. She'd stopped struggling at least. He brought her back to the corner and sat down, cradling her bruised body, doing his best to clean her soiled face. Her eyes fixed on something far off and she just lay there, the dried tracks of tears marring her young face. It had lost something too. Jubilee had always been happy. Rebellious, but happy, none the less. That had been ripped out of her this morning. Hank hugged her close and he could smell each man's scent individually, and as his lips drew back, Hank placed a death sentence on each of their filthy heads. His whole life he'd opposed such final punishment, but this... This was inhuman. It hurt him on so many different levels, he let the beast inside dictate what he would do. Chimera had the same look on his face as Hank.  
The door opened again and a large cauldron was set inside the cell. A pile of half clean bowls next to it. Hank sniffed, and both he and Chimera looked at each other. They both recognized the smell. As the other mutants fought for a small bowl of it, the two fierce looking men in the corner fought to hold what little they'd eaten that morning down. What was in that soup wasn't beef or chicken. Both men knew it was what was left of the man who'd been taken earlier. 


	14. Assault

Raien sat in the infirmary, wrapped head to toe in all the blankets the room had. He looked at Bobby, deep inside his frozen shell. It really was beautiful. The way the dim light hit every shining facet gave the whole thing a dazzling effect. Though staring at it for the past three hours had been agony. Every second he spent not fighting his way to Chimera was like he was letting his lover down. He was going to need help to do this, though, and he knew that if he left Bobby and did everything himself, Bobby would never forgive him. So he waited, as agonizing minutes crept by.  
  
He was walking through hallways, the smell of blood in the air. Screams echoed on the concrete walls. He was confused. As he walked from cell to cell, Raien realized that he was not in control. He was there, conscious, but it was like someone else had taken the wheel. He watched himself stop, open one of the doors. His heart almost leaped out of his chest when he saw Chimera there. He reached toward his lover, surprised that his body moved with him for once. But where Raien had meant to touch Chimera's cheek, his hand tightened around his neck. At that moment he saw his hand. It wasn't his. He saw fear in Chimera's eyes, and something else, the look a person gets when they've given up their will to live. When things have gotten so bad that death seems a step up from where they are. Now standing outside his body he saw what the glove had been attached to. The same black space suit that he'd seen during the attack on the mansion. He saw Chimera look into the eyes of the man holding him. He watched him recognize something and start shaking. The man holding him threw him to the floor and looked at Raien now. Raien gasped. Behind the goggles he saw glowing white eyes. His eyes.  
  
"Raien? Raien!" Said a familiar voice, waking him. When he looked up, he saw Bobby standing over him, still in his Iceman form. Something was different though. He looked bigger. As Raien fully woke up he saw that Bobby shoulders were covered in thick black ice. His face was the same, but his body was not. He looked much more powerful physically than he had the last Raien had seen him.  
Still shaken and feeling more than a little sick from his dream, he stood. "You alright, Bobby?"  
"I think so. How long was I out?" Bobby asked  
"A few days." Raien said. Bobby's eyes widened and a half frozen tear fell from one, forming an icicle on his chin.  
"Hank... And Chimera?" Bobby asked, sounding hopeful.  
"The other X-Men are dragging their heels," Raien began "I think we need to do something. Now. I can't stand the thought of someone hurting Chimera, Hank, and Jubilee. I don't think the rest of the team is ready. Except maybe Wolverine. Gambit got shot, and Rogue hasn't left his side. Jean has learned the coordinates of the place they're being held, I think we can get them."  
Bobby was quiet for a moment. "How can we get there though? My slides only go so fast." He was looking at the floor. "Lets talk to the rest of the team. If they aren't willing to leave now, I'll go with you."  
Raien nodded and they left the infirmary together.  
  
"Raien, Bobby, look. We just aren't ready." Scott said, sounding frustrated.  
"I am ready. Who else is?" Raien asked, turning his back on Scott to face the rest of the team. Jean had just given them a direction and distance of the place their friends were being kept. Raien saw no need to stay any longer.  
"I'm ready." Bobby said, an icy glare aimed at Cyclops.  
Rogue looked at Gambit for a moment as if to ask if he was okay with her leaving. He nodded and she looked at Cyclops hard. "Ah'm ready. We all got people we know an love held bah those bastards. Ah think we need to get them out now."  
"We need to plan this out! We need to act as a team, move as a team!" Cyclops shouted sounding somewhat defeated.  
Wolverine had a half grin on his face at Cyclops being confronted so much in the past few weeks. He was really starting to look like an ass, and the best part about it was that he knew. "I think we are moving as a team. I think you're the only one not ready, bub."  
Scott threw his hands into the air. "Alright we move today. Give me three hours."  
Raien stared at him. 'Three hours? Chimera could be dead in one hour.' Raien caught himself. 'Chimera could already be dead.'  
"No. I'm leaving now. Anyone who is ready-" Raien said before being interrupted by Scott.  
"Three hours is not unacceptable. If you're going to be a part of-" Scott said before he saw the look Raien had on his face. It was the same look he'd seen this morning.  
"Then take them. I'm leaving now." Raien said simply. He knew that he was not going to get any help from Scott. He'd known that walking in there. For three days that had been the feeling. Now that Bobby was awake, he could finally leave without feeling bad. They both deserved whatever revenge they could get.  
Scott looked like he wanted to say more. Fuck him anyway. Raien was out the door and down the hallway in a matter of seconds.  
"Hold up, Sugar." Rogue said. "You're not doing this alone."  
Raien stopped and turned. When he saw her, Wolverine, and Bobby behind him, he smiled. "Alright. Lets go get our friends."  
  
Hank looked at Jubilee. He was very worried. She hadn't moved all day. She stared off in the distance, not even crying anymore. Hank had just held her since he found her. He didn't know what else to do. He didn't have the heart to check her for injuries. She wasn't bleeding though, thank heavens. It broke his heart, seeing her in this condition. He knew that the days of a young energetic girl coming to him the day before an algebra test thinking she was going to die were gone. He just hoped that one day she could reclaim a little of that. He hugged her closer and kissed the side of her head whispering anything he could think of to tell her everything was going to be okay. That the X-Men were coming.  
It was more to convince himself though. Chimera looked hurt that they'd not come sooner. Hank had tried to explain that they would have to regroup, plan, and then they could mount a rescue effort. But the words fell flat from his mouth even as he said them. It had been nearly three days. Twelve of the most powerful mutants in the room had been taken.  
Hank had tried that morning to mount an escape. The captors didn't even use the collars that would protect them from the mutants' abilities. No one wanted to fight though. They were too scared. It was disgusting. He'd reasoned that perhaps seeing something happen, seeing a guard taken down, they'd revolt. Everything had backfired. One of the men in the black space suits had come into the room. He'd pointed at one of the girls. Hank had sprung at him like a wild animal, gripped his arms and pulled to rip him in two. He was caught completely off guard when the body under him didn't move. Hands gripped his wrists and twisted making him howl in pain. A boot came up under his stomach, then he crashed into the rear wall, right next to Chimera. It had been over thirty feet.  
That was when the despair had started. Laying in a heap of bruises and cracked ribs, he knew there was nothing he could do. That feeling of helplessness was not something he was even the slightest bit familiar with. He'd been scared for days.  
As he picked Jubilee back up and lay in his corner, he did something he hadn't done in a very long time. His chest shook and a sob escaped him before he could swallow it and lock it away inside him. He had to stay strong for everyone. If he didn't believe, how could Chimera? They'd win. He still shook, and tears threatened to break loose. He looked at the ceiling. He'd always been an Atheist. Science left little room for faith. He caught himself begging for help. Anything that would hear his prayer. Then it dawned on him. What kind of god would let this happen?  
  
The Blackbird raced from the hanger. Scott hadn't taken three hours. In fact he'd left in less than one. Jean, Storm, Kurt, and even Gambit were with him. He'd wanted to leave the Cajun in the infirmary where he belonged, but he'd insisted on coming. He could pilot. Or something.  
It would take only a half hour for them to get to the coordinates Jean had come up with. They were going to get their teammates back.  
Just as he was beginning to wonder how Raien, Bobby, Wolverine and Rogue had left (as they'd not taken the Blackbird), he saw something ahead. Scott accelerated. As he got closer, he saw four pair of boots. White flame. He smirked to himself. After all that in the war room this morning, Scott's team would get there first. He hit the accelerator again just as he passed them.  
He blew past and looked at the readout again. He could see them on radar. A few moments passed and he gasped. They were catching up. Another minute and when Scott looked up, he saw Raien's face in the cockpit window. Not gloating. Deep in concentration. As if he was straining with something. Wolverine on the other hand waved. As they passed him and soon left the Blackbird far far behind, Scott slammed a hand into the metal seat divider.  
"That son of a bitch." he muttered earning him several dirty looks. Except from Gambit. The man looked like he'd be outright laughing if his chest wound didn't hurt when he did.  
  
Raien's head started to throb, but he was lost in concentration. A large cement building loomed in front of them, a long black chimney on the top, looking eerily familiar to those used by the Germans in World War II. There were no windows and fifty food chain link fence surrounded it on all sides. They landed just outside of the fence. Raien could feel the electricity in the air coming from the fence. As soon as feet hit the ground, they were moving.  
Wolverine quickly found the wire supplying the fence with power, and severed it. Two quick slashes and their way through the fence was made. Bobby leading the way and Raien in the rear, they entered the compound. An alarm sounded. Three guards that were patrolling stopped, obviously surprised. Bobby didn't even stop moving. He simply looked in their direction and they froze solid.  
The doors in the front of the building opened and a dozen soldiers poured out. Raien extended his hand and his aura burned around him. A globe of white flame appeared to one side of the soldiers. They lifted off the ground, falling toward it. Raien thrust his hand to the side and they flew screaming over the fence. His aura flickered for a moment.  
"Raien, are ya alright?" Rogue asked. Raien shook himself. His skin had paled.  
"I'm fine. Lets get them." He said. Wolverine looked at him for a moment with a look of approval. They walked through the doors, Bobby rounded the corner first. Loud gunshots. Bobby's back exploded outward sending shards of ice flying. All of them gasped. Just as Rogue called out to him, they realized that Bobby wasn't in pain. The craters in his back filled with ice and he was suddenly as he was a moment before.  
When they came around the corner, a thick barrier of ice separated them from the soldiers. Bobby looked very pleased with himself.  
"Hey bub. Leave some for me. Alright?" Wolverine asked. Definitely not a joke. He cracked his knuckles. The sound of metal touching in there was still disconcerting.  
They moved down the hallway. Bobby didn't know where he was going except that he was going the right way. He couldn't explain why he knew. They neared the end of the hall and heard footsteps. Slow and deliberate.  
They stopped. The hiss of air being expelled sounded just before a tall black figure stepped from the right side ahead of them. The sound of adamantium claws slicing through Wolverine's hands broke the silence. The man ahead extended a black gloved hand toward them. Bobby took a step forward. Suddenly fire leapt from the man's outstretched hand. Bobby's arms flew up and out and he became a wall of ice. When the flame hit, though, he recoiled, screaming in pain. While the rest of them were stunned at what they were seeing, no one saw Wolverine until his claws ripped through the black suit, severing the multitude of tubes attached to the man's body. He cried out as he fell to the ground, his voice distorted by some mechanical device obviously made to make it sound more threatening.  
Bobby had reformed himself but was still shaking with pain.  
"I'm fine. Lets go." Bobby said through gritted teeth. They moved at a run now. With Wolverine at the lead they advanced. As they were about to turn down another hallway, Wolverine put his hand up, silently stopping them. He sniffed the air and angled an ear toward their right.  
"Soldiers. Over twenty. Raien?" Wolverine whispered. Raien nodded. His aura surrounded him again. He jumped straight out, inverting when he hit the hallway, far from where any of the soldiers would have expected someone to be. Before they could get him in their sights, a ball of fire blazed by them, ripping them from their perches, dragging them down the hall with it. Raien didn't stop moving. He crashed into the wall on the other side of the hallway, his aura gone, grabbing his head. A small grunt of pain before the other three were upon him. Rogue picked him up and looked at him. His eyes opened, flickered for a moment, then burned again. A trail of crimson rolled from his nose down his chin. He pulled away from her, standing on his own and wiped the blood from his face. His companions looked at him all with worried expressions on their faces.  
"We can't do this without me. I'll be fine. Go." He said pain still evident on his face. It took a moment but they knew his words were true and moved. They ran into a few more guards which were either frozen solid in their tracks or overwhelmed by Rogue's strong arms and Wolverine's claws.  
They'd found the cell, located in the central part of the building. The four guards posted outside were incapacitated before they even knew something was wrong. A number pad was to the left of the thick steel door. Wolverine slashed, but couldn't penetrate it. His claws could go through chain link like butter, but the steel here must have been six inches thick.  
"Move aside." Raien said, still holding one hand to his left temple.  
"Raien, you can't-" Bobby said, worry thick in his voice.  
"Move aside. Please." Raien repeated, extending hands toward the door. "If we don't do this soon we're going to have a hundred guards here. We need to get them and get out."  
The three grudgingly moved out of the way. Raien's eyes narrowed for a moment, and it seemed as though nothing was going to happen. A grunt of effort and the aura came to him again, an orb forming just in front of the door. The soft creek of metal bending filled the air. Another alarm blazed around them. It wouldn't be long until the place would be swarming with soldiers. Raien's knees wavered as the doors bent outward, and finally breaking from their hinges, they crashed to the floor. Raien's aura was gone just as quickly. They didn't see him wipe more blood from his nose.  
Inside the room there were several people sprawled out on a cement floor. The smell of sweat hung in the air around them. A few of the mutants looked up at them.  
"Hank!" Bobby exclaimed. "C'mon, hurry, we've got to get out of here!" Hank jumped to his feet, Jubilee in his arms, and Chimera not too far behind him. Hank looked at the rest of the room.  
"Come on! Follow us!" He yelled at them. None moved. Not one. "Hurry! Come with us!" Hank stared incredulously for a moment at them, and as he looked into a few of their eyes, he knew that none were coming. These people were already dead. The realization sent a chill up his spine.  
"We gotta move. They're comin." Wolverine said in a low tone.  
Hank and Bobby looked at each other and smiled. Chimera looked at Raien. The man who'd saved him from FoH once before stood on wobbly knees, blood coming from his nose, pure relief on his face. Hank saw him too.  
"My God. Raien? What happened?" Hank asked hurriedly. Raien wiped the blood again and turned to head back the way they'd come.  
"No time. C'mon. Lets get out of here." He said, already breaking into a run. He wondered where all the soldiers were. They couldn't have run a place like this with only the ones they'd run into. They might be up to something. As much as Raien just wanted to give in to his pounding head and jump into Chimera's arms, he couldn't. He had to get the team out. He'd gotten them into this. As they ran through the hallways, Raien knew there was just one more turn and they'd be home free.  
He rounded the corner first. He knew better, but his brain wasn't working anymore. He was totally exhausted. Using his power this much hurt. His feet skidded to a halt. Barrels of rifles leveled at him.  
A gunshot shook the air around Chimera as he ran to catch up. His chest clenched tight as he saw crimson explode from Raien's back. The aura surrounded him and he brought his hands up. They shook as fire flew from them, sweeping the guards right out the door as if they'd been in a raging river. Raien's body jerked and both hands came to his head suddenly. The aura flickered and died. Then Raien's body went limp and he crashed to the floor.  
"C'mon! What are you staring at lets go!" Wolverine yelled. Chimera picked Raien up. He hung limp in his arms. When he turned him over, Chimera screamed. Two brown eyes rolled toward the back of Raien's head. Brown. The glow that defined him, gone. 


	15. New

15.  
  
Chimera's head lay on Raien's chest. Something he would have given anything for just this morning. His belly rumbled at him, but he didn't pay it any attention. It had been three days without food, but he'd somehow lost his appetite. The familiar sound of Raien's heartbeat, echoed by the monitor was reassuring. It proved with each beep, with each tone, that Raien was still alive. That there was still hope. But Chimera knew this wasn't television. Things don't always end up the way you want them. And with what he'd seen in his life, happy endings are something only normal people can have.  
"Chimera." Hank said softly. Too softly. Frustration and sadness, a bad mix when coming from a doctor. "Raien's in a coma." Chimera didn't even move. He thought he should have flinched, or cried, or something, but he didn't even look up. His arm tightened around Raien's waist. Hank held a dark sheet of plastic up to the light. The scan of Raien's brain.  
"He has damage to the Parietal Lobe, here," he said, pointing "Its scar tissue. I. I can't do anything, Chimera. I'm sorry. He could wake tomorrow, or in a year, or..." he took a breath. "I've read studies about those in comas such as this being able to hear and understand what is going on around them. I will speak to the Professor. Perhaps he can do something I can not."  
Chimera just lay there, waiting for the crushing blow of what Hank had just said to hit him. He just wasn't ready to process what was going on.  
Hank checked the gunshot wound in Raien's stomach and nodded. Then looked at where Chimera had chosen to place his head and frowned. The last thing he'd want if he'd been shot was someone sleeping on him, but he also knew that he would have to physically pry Chimera from him. They'd had to do it on the blackbird just for Hank to dress the wound in the first place, and it hadn't been an easy task.  
As Hank walked out the door he collided with Bobby. Arms locked around his waist and Bobby's head burrowed into his chest. Hank sighed. Sometimes Bobby really was a child at heart. He had the strangest urge to pin him down right there and tickle him till he cried. But the urge left as quickly as it came when he realized it wasn't a playful hug. His arms closed around Bobby's small form. He straightened and Bobby's feet left the ground. He lumbered back to their room. He actually stopped at that. Their. Strange that he would call it that, even in his own mind. Even stranger, he'd been thinking of his room. They'd been best friends for years, but as far as a relationship goes, he knew they were moving very quickly.  
They flopped down on the mattress heavily. It took Hank a moment to realize that Bobby wasn't as warm as he usually was. His body temperature normally changed, but it was always consistent. Today, Bobby was warm in some places, and as he ran his hand down Bobby's back, Hank felt frost. Bobby shook against him and he felt hot tears on his chest.  
"Bobby, are you alright?" Hank asked softly while he tightened the embrace, covering the frosty parts as best he could. He'd never thought about having to thaw his friend, but the feeling wasn't entirely unpleasant.  
"I thought I was going to lose you, Hank." he whispered. "Why does the world have to hate us? Why can't they just leave us alone? I don't want to co-exist. I don't want peace. I just want to be. With you." his voice had turned shaky. Two hands, much larger than any normal person's pulled Bobby close. They shared a kiss.  
Hank was still amazed at all the things that simple tactile contact could convey. When they parted, Hank realized he wanted more, but this just wasn't the time. Bobby lay his head on Hank's broad well muscled chest and sighed. Hank felt Bobby's temperature coming back to normal, which was good because he was beginning to lose feeling in his left arm. He liked the idea of thawing Bobby. The idea seemed strangely erotic to him, and again he had to banish certain thoughts from his mind.  
"How is Jubilee, Hank? She looked really terrible." Bobby asked softly.  
It took Hank a moment to respond. He was so frustrated at what the Professor and Jean had done. They hadn't even let him give her a proper medical examination or do a blood test. The Professor had since retired to his quarters, but Jean was probably still in Jubilee's quarters doing who knew what in the girl's mind.  
"I do not think I'm at liberty to say exactly what happened, even to you, Bobby." Hank said. He felt Bobby sigh again, and arch his back so he could look into his eyes.  
"I'm pretty sure I know what happened. I wont tell anyone. I'm just worried, you know?" Bobby said softly. If he'd not been looking at him like this, Hank would almost have taken offense to Bobby's nonchalant sound. The corners of his mouth twitched as he remembered all seven of their scents. He'd so wanted to run through the hallways of that prison, and find each and every one. He wanted to watch their horror as he choked the life-  
"Hank?" Bobby asked. Hank suddenly felt very ill. And scared. What had he just been thinking? He shivered, and not because of Bobby's temperature. The ideas that previously had filled his mind repulsed him. Violence only begets more violence. But what they'd done to Jubilee... So innocent, still so naïve. They'd shattered that, they'd taken her youth from her in the most unthinkable way. He heard a sob, deep and low. Bobby was crying? He opened his eyes and realized they stung. Bobby just looked worried. Then who was- Oh. He felt his body shaking. He rolled on his side, laying Bobby on his back. He gazed deep into those crystal blue eyes. Everything he felt about what had happened to Jubilee melted. All the rage, all the anger and frustration just. Left. Hank didn't know if Bobby was aware he had that effect on him. He'd always had it, but neither had been willing to acknowledge it. Hank smiled. What scientists had searched after for decades was here. Right. Here. The cure to the common woe. Bobby Drake.  
Bobby sighed heavily, and Hank was suddenly aware that it was a two edged sword. Bobby had the same look in his eyes that Hank knew he had. Fascinating. And something else too. Bobby made him feel desirable. Like he was normal. Like the fur and the fangs and the claws didn't matter. Or rather that they were just another aspect of Hank he could love. His elbow wavered under him. He felt a rush of warmth in his chest. The past three days had seemed like an eternity, and finally he was the one place in all the world he wanted to be.  
Bobby laughed softly and pushed Hank's shoulders. Wrestling was it? Hank grinned and easily lifted Bobby into the air. It amazed him that though he knew each time he was far outclassed, he would still try. An eyebrow raised as he pondered another explanation. Maybe. Maybe he wanted to lose. He stopped himself before it turned more serious than simple wrestling. He really had too much on his mind to feel right about it. As he lay his head on Bobby's shoulder, he sighed. Bobby never expected him to be someone he wasn't. He'd always taken him at face value. Most people turned and ran when they saw him. But Bobby. He felt a sudden rush of desire. He wondered if something was wrong with him. He normally had impeccable control of his emotions. He let it drop and drifted to sleep, breathing in Bobby's scent. Even with all that had happened, Hank was happy beyond words to be able to have these moments.  
  
Jean was frustrated. She'd spent six long hours inside Jubilee's broken mind trying to find her, to coax her out of her shell, but to no avail. The images swirling in the girls head sickened her. She'd never been raped, but now she felt like she had. Those feelings, the pain, the fear. Jean shivered. She sat in the mansion's entryway, in a plush chair she especially liked with a glass of warm milk. It had always soothed her nerves when she was younger, but right now it wasn't doing a damn thing. She had a newspaper in front of her, the top story outlining an 'unprovoked terrorist attack on the New York Mutant Sanctuary'. Jean just shook her head. People would believe anything. As a telepath, she knew that fact better than anyone.  
A knock at the door jarred her from dark thoughts. Before she really thought about it, she was on her feet, at the door. As she reached for the handle, she saw the security panel. The automated defenses were on. She couldn't sense anyone outside. As she stood there, another three knocks came slowly. She unlocked the door and opened it slowly, readying a telekinetic blast just in case. Jean gasped and nearly sent the woman flying.  
"Jean... I. I hoped it wouldn't be you." Said the shaky voice of the last woman on the face of the planet that Jean wanted to see right now. Emma bloody Frost.  
"What are you doing here?" Jean asked coldly. The woman obviously had expected to be invited in out of the cold night air, and while Jean was totally aware of manners, she chose to ignore them. Emma, the White Queen, didn't deserve them. She stood in her diamond form, which explained how she'd gotten past the mansion's defenses, and why Jean had been unable to sense her coming. By design, most likely. Jean stared daggers right into her shiny forehead.  
"I... I need help." She said slowly, her eyes glittering with the beginnings of tears. Now that Jean really looked at her, she looked dirty and ragged. Something she would never have expected from this woman, who always seemed to be in pristine white, with a complexion to match. Jean watched as the woman's knees shook. Emma was staring at her hands now. Her diamond form dissolved.  
"I can't stop it. The crying. I know you can't hear it." Said the ever frigid White Queen as she fell to her knees and totally lost any semblance of composure she had left. Jean was suddenly flooded with the emotions radiating from the woman. She staggered backward at the intensity of it, her hand shook as she brought it to her face. The grief this woman was in was almost unbearable. And Jean already had every shield up she could form. What Ms. Frost must be going through...  
Jean pushed past all the hatred she had for this person. The one who had corrupted her when she was possessed by the Phoenix force, the one who had led her to betray everyone she loved. The one who now had collapsed in the doorway, begging for help.  
"What happened to you, Emma?" Jean said, surprised at the concern in her voice.  
Emma shook for a moment. "They." she said, her lip quivering. "Killed her." Another pause. Another wave of anguish. Then one of regret and self loathing. "And I... I killed them. Killed everyone!" Jean couldn't say anything. Just stood there, mouth open, gaping at what was in front of her.  
"Killed... Whom?" Said Xavier from behind them. Jean jumped. She hadn't heard him roll up. Emma looked at him and her eyes seemed to flash in that way that Jean knew to be telepathy. Xavier's eyes opened wide.  
"I... I see. You know that you will not have exactly a warm welcome from the other team members," Xavier began. Emma's eyes hit the carpet. Something she'd had to do as a child because of an abusive step father. She'd sworn to herself never to be so weak again. "But you may stay. Temporarily." Extra emphasis on the last word, which pleased Jean.  
Emma's eyes slowly rose and locked with the professor's. "Thank you." she said, barely over a whisper. Still, Jean was trying to wrap her mind around the whole scene. Now the woman was going to be living in the mansion? In her house? Before she knew it, Jean had her arms folded across her chest, and was scowling like an old schoolteacher.  
  
Raien's eyes opened to darkness. It was too dark. And he was confused. He had no idea where he was. Flat hard mattress. He moved his arm a little to the left and found the edge of the bed. Infirmary. Why am I in the Infirmary? he thought. Bits and pieces drifted to him. He remembered that he'd pushed himself hard. He'd gone way over what he knew was his limit. He remembered feeling something pop. Well, break may be a better word. Then he woke here.  
His feet touched the floor and he had that feeling one gets when you've slept too long. His limbs were weak, his thoughts slow. He stumbled in the darkness to where he thought he remembered the door being. As it hissed open, he could see the light switch. He flicked it on with a trembling hand. He stared at it for a second as it continued to shake, finally holding and calming it with his other. He didn't have long to think about it. When he looked up there was a man standing right in front of him, holding one hand in exactly the way he was. The man looked familiar, and it took him a moment to figure out he was staring into a mirror. A mirror of himself without the glowing eyes. As much as the appearance shocked him, it was what he had wanted his whole life. He looked normal.  
He was so lost in the specter on the other side of the glass that he didn't notice Chimera, who'd fallen asleep on the exam table nearest Raien's. He didn't notice the mixed look of immense relief and paradoxically, muted horror. He was unspeakably happy to see his lover, his best and only friend walking, but those eyes. He'd scolded himself constantly. The fear had been lurking in the back of his furry head for two days. The last he'd seen of Raien, he was losing consciousness, and his eyes had been as they were now. Normal. Raien was normal. Chimera wasn't. He felt like he was being left behind. That the allure of the outside world would rip away the only thing that made it worth living to him. The only thing that had kept him from giving into the sorrow of that camp, from becoming cattle like the rest of the mutants was Raien. Those loving glowing eyes that he may never see again.  
He tried to get a hold on himself. Raien couldn't see him like this. Couldn't see his turmoil. His worry. He slowly put his feet on the floor. What he had wanted and feared for the past few days was finally here. As he neared Raien, the man turned.  
"Chimera! I didn't see you. I... My eyes!" Raien exclaimed happily. His speech sounded a little slurred as though his tongue was too big for his mouth. It was a minute difference that few in the mansion would be able to detect. Something else hit him just then. What Raien just said. Not 'I missed you', not 'I love you'. He felt his heart sink and felt guilty at the same time. If Raien wanted to live a normal life, Chimera would let him. He would bottle his emotions up as he'd done for years. He was so close to crying, right here, breaking down and just letting everything go. He thought he now understood why Bobby had felt the need to-  
  
"Chimera? Are you alright?" Raien asked, stepping into his arms. It took a moment for them to close around him. Raien could tell that something wasn't right, but what, he couldn't tell. Probably something from being imprisoned. He didn't pay it much heed. He was still shocked at his new appearance. He could go for a walk. He could go to a movie. Something he remembered dimly, having not gone much in his childhood and early high school. He could... And his hand shook again. He had to pull away from Chimera to calm it again. He couldn't figure out what was wrong with it. He'd have to ask Hank in the morning. He was happy to be back, to have Chimera here. The smell of him was wonderful again. Like coming home.  
  
Chimera hadn't slept all night. Not that he really had gotten any sleep while Raien had been in his coma, but this was almost worse. He was waiting for the end. Raien was totally oblivious. Chimera mused that it was like the stereotype of the wife being angry at the husband for not knowing what she's thinking. He'd seen that one on television played out a hundred different ways. He knew that the best way to avoid it was to tell Raien what was on his mind. They'd always had a very open relationship. This was the first time that Chimera felt he couldn't tell something to his partner. So he lay there all night, Raien pressed to one side with his head on Chimera's chest. And let the tears slip silently down the sides of his face. In the morning Raien would realize he didn't need this place anymore. In the morning, Raien would realize he didn't need him anymore.  
Hours passed and his stomach rumbled. When he moved to get up, Raien made sounds that were obviously "Go ahead, I'm gonna keep sleeping." Chimera ambled down the hallway feeling empty. More than empty. Hollow. As he went into the kitchen, he realized he wasn't so much hungry as just needing something to get him out of bed. He smelled fresh coffee brewing. Perfect.  
There was a woman sitting there looking lost, bearing the same expression he felt. Beautiful blonde hair, and a more than revealing white outfit that seemed to clash with the sorrow evident on her flawless face. When she looked up at him, she didn't jump like most people did. She even smiled at him. Not a warm smile, but one that a person fakes when they can't muster a real one. He poured a large cup of the wonderful dark liquid.  
"Is this seat taken?" He asked softly.  
"No." She replied. Hollowly. Chimera sighed and took the seat across her.  
"You're new here?" Chimera asked, trying to initiate small talk. He really didn't want to be alone now, and he sensed from the woman that she didn't want to be alone either.  
At first, the woman hadn't really seemed talkative, but once she'd found he was willing to listen to her, she laid everything out on the table. She told him of how she'd been happy in France, with her daughter, for the first time in her life, she'd felt something for someone other than herself. She told Chimera about the capture of her daughter, and how they'd held her as insurance she did what they wanted. That her name was Emma. That they'd stolen her soul. That FoH had raped her daily. In the end, they ended up in one of the nearby Rec Rooms, Chimera cradling her on the couch as she spilled the rest of her tragic story.  
Her tears came endlessly from eyes full of pain. She told him how she'd betrayed her kind. How she'd helped FoH capture mutants. Because they would have killed her daughter if she didn't. She'd been used for over a year in this way, which Chimera thought, was far far worse than he'd encountered in his own dealings with FoH. His agony was one day, losing his mother. Hers was spread out over a year. When she told him her daughter had been killed anyway, with Emma watching, helpless to do anything about it, Chimera cried with her.  
Then she told him what had happened next. How she'd be so blinded by rage that when she came to her senses, everyone was dead. How she couldn't get the crying of her daughter to stop ringing in her ears. How empty and alone and impossibly hopeless she felt. Chimera just listened to her, telling her it would be okay in the end, that she was in a place where she could get help, and the people here would help her and not treat her like an outsider. She looked at him, wanting to believe his words, but she knew more than he did. She'd dealt with the X-Men several times. Thwarting them and being thwarted by them. She'd been surprised Jean hadn't killed her on the spot. The old Emma would have, in a heartbeat.  
"There was one especially that I regretted, Chimera. He found me wandering in the sewer, merely playing bait for the remnants of a group they'd hunted for over a year. I must have appeared as a lost and helpless girl. He took me in. When FoH came for him, he fought for me. He stood in front of me to protect me from the very people I'd delivered him to. He would have won, too, but I... My daughter..." Even she was beginning to find her excuse lame. They'd killed her anyway. There was never going to be an end to what she was doing. She'd been stupid not to see it then.  
Chimera was shaken by what she'd said. His heart went out to the mutant who she'd captured. Hopefully he was alright. "Emma, if he'd heard what you just told me, I think he would forgive you. They had your daughter. I know the pain of going through life without love. Especially when you know its going to end." He shook himself, and found her looking at him with such an expression of awe and gratitude that he had to change the subject.  
Chimera really was hungry now anyway. He got up fixed them both some pancakes. Emma really did look a whole lot better now than she had before. She wasn't brooding. She'd finally had an outlet for her sorrow. Someone who wasn't already tainted by what she'd already done to each of the other X-men.  
Emma reached tentatively into the lion-like man's mind and could feel his turmoil. She suddenly stood up so fast that the plate shattered on the tile floor of the kitchen. She stared at Chimera and felt the need to run. To wipe his mind so that he wouldn't remember the conversation they'd just had. So that he wouldn't remember her. But she knew that the professor was keeping an eye on her, she could feel him on the outskirts of her thoughts, just beyond what any normal telepath should be able to detect. She shook with fear and guilt. And Chimera's look of sympathy just made it worse. She'd just learned the name of his love. Raien. 


	16. Gone

Apologies for the length of time it took me to get this one out. Got a few more things on my plate, but I haven't forgotten about this story. If you've got suggestions, requests, etc, email me, nightfirexenotek.net, and I'll do my best to get back to you, maybe make some stuff happen. If you've managed to hang on this long, thank you. Means a lot.  
  
I don't claim any of these characters (besides Raien and Chimera) as my own, they are the property of Marvel comics. If they were mine... We'd have a feature length movie with nothing but Hank/Bobby smut!  
  
16.  
  
Raien walked slowly down the hallways, which today was a very difficult task. For some reason that weak feeling, where your toes tingle and it feels like you're walking through jello, had yet to go away. His hand tremored every once in a while too, which he was at a loss to figure out. He was sure that Hank would want to talk to him today and do a full medical workup. They'd not even notified him, which was probably something they should have done, given the fact that he'd woken from a coma. He thought for a while though, and he figured that Bobby and Hank were probably happily asleep in each others arms, and to bother them that late at night wouldn't have been the best thing to do. So they'd left a short note on the bed saying they'd be back in the morning.  
His belly growled at him. He'd been on an IV for the last few days, but it was far from the same as actually eating. Yes, it would sustain the physical needs of his body, but there was nothing like having a belly full of-  
Raien stopped dead in his tracks as he entered the kitchen. His eyes flew wide open and he saw something he'd hoped to never see again in a thousand years. M. Or Emma. She saw him too.  
"What the fuck are you doing here?!" Raien exclaimed already aiming himself at her. He was going to rip her lungs out if he could. He had a flashback to the time just before he'd been captured. How this woman had pretended to be a lost mutant. He'd taken her in, he'd shown her every ounce of kindness someone wandering alone in the sewers for months could possibly have. And she'd betrayed him. He'd tried to protect her. He'd fought for her, but in the end, a syringe to the back of the neck was all he'd gotten in return. His lips curled back. And then he noticed Chimera. This had to be a nightmare! Something was terribly wrong with the whole situation. The man he loved, the one he wanted to spend each waking moment with was HAVING BREAKFAST with the person who'd betrayed him.  
Weak or not, Raien threw himself at her, fingers extended like claws. Chimera bounded across the table and caught him in mid-air. He was trying to say something. He had a look of pure confusion on his face. Raien had never spoken of this to him. He had no way of knowing. And she'd probably told him some sob story to get him to listen to her. Even though he was more than outmatched by his lover's powerful arms, he still reached toward Emma, shouting every curse he know and some he didn't.  
She was obviously shaken. She was falling all over herself to apologize to him. Something that she was not accustomed to. Raien wasn't listening, Chimera was still confused, and pancakes, syrup and broken plates littered the floor.  
"Raien, I... I'm so sorry. Chimera, let him go." Emma said, looking at the floor. She was still shocked at how much of a turn her life had made in the past few weeks.  
"Yeah. Let me go. Trust me, she deserves-" Raien said before being interrupted by a voice more strong and powerful than Raien thought Chimera was capable of.  
"Both of you shut up. I think I've managed to figure out what is going on here. Raien, you told me that before you were captured, you'd been wandering in the sewers. I think I heard about what happened, and how we ended up in that truck together. Please. Calm down. Emma has changed. They had her daughter, Raien..." Chimera said, a mix between strong and soft tones.  
Raien snorted. Yeah. Daughter. Right. "Chimera, she's a liar. She found me in the sewer and after I'd taken her in, she gave me to FoH. She's probably the same person responsible for you getting caught!"  
Chimera felt suddenly that he didn't want to be the one standing in the middle of this. On one hand he had this woman, who'd obviously suffered a great deal of pain, and who had just bared her soul to him. On the other, quite literally, he had his lover. The only man he loved, and the one and only man that would ever love him in return. Raien had stopped struggling, finally, and Chimera put his feet on the floor again.  
"Raien, as horrible as the things that happened in my life that day, had it not been for this woman, I would not have met you..." Chimera tried to explain. He was really reaching here. He knew that there was little he could do to quell Raien's hatred of this woman.  
"All I can do is apologize, Raien. There's no way to make right the damage I did to you, but-"  
Raien pulled away from Chimera, but also away from the object of his hatred. He staggered for a moment trying to get his feet under him. Why was he so damned slow.  
"You can start by leaving! And never coming back. Go back to your Friends. You aren't wanted here!" He spat toward her. She wilted. Raien still wanted to kill her.  
Chimera stood like a statue. He'd never seen this side of Raien before. He'd never wanted to hold and comfort him more than he did this moment, but the look on Raien's face precluded anything like that. It was a look of stark betrayal. He took a step toward him anyway, trying, hoping for just the chance to... he didn't know what he could do.  
"Fuck this place." Raien said as he turned and left. All of Chimera's fears hit him right in the stomach. All of the dark thoughts of the past few days had all just come true, punctuated by the sound of the front door slamming shut. There was nothing in what Raien had just said, or the way he'd just acted that left any room to interpret that Chimera could follow. After all, Raien had gone to the one place he couldn't follow. Outside.  
He didn't say a word. He stood there for a moment more and found his coffee. Though it scalded his throat, he downed it in one gulp. He picked up the scraps of plate left from the floor and placed them in the garbage. He washed his cup and replaced it in the cabinet as if nothing had just happened. His eyes burned furiously. His hands shook. He gave Emma a final look, and told her not to worry. That Raien would come around. As he stepped out of the kitchen, his words fell and shattered on the floor in as many pieces as Emma's plate had. There was nothing Raien said that indicated he would be coming back.  
"Morning Chimera." Bobby said cheerfully, on his way to his morning cereal. He stopped and turned. "Chimera? What's wrong? What happened?"  
His only reply was the clacking of hooves running away from him down the hallway.  
  
Jean sat with Jubilee feeling terrible. There wasn't a damn thing she was doing that was making any difference to the girl's vacant expression. Frankly, she was shocked. Jean thought that if this had happened to her, she would cry, and make Scott hold her until- Then it hit her. Jubilee didn't have Scott. She had no one to come home to who could tell her that everything was going to be okay. There was nothing Jean could do in that regard. She'd thought about using her powers to draw Jubilee out, but that would be painful to both of them.  
She decided it was time to leave Jubilee to lay on the bed staring at the wall and go have some lunch. As the door opened, she saw Wolverine walk by. She'd known he was near. He must have been pacing right in front of the door.  
"You can talk to her if you want, Logan. I can't seem to get through to her. Maybe you can." Jean said, frustration rampant in her voice. Wolverine just nodded and entered. He sat down on the bed softly, totally out of character.  
"How you doing, kid?" He asked, softly. Jean always knew there was this side to Wolverine, but she'd rarely seen it. At first he got the same response from her as Jean had gotten for the past few days. Then suddenly, Jubilee scrambled into his lap, her arms around his neck. And cried. As the door hissed shut, Jean's mood improved dramatically. She felt the emotions bottled up within Jubilee break free. It made absolutely no sense to her. She would have thought that the best person to help her through this would have been a woman. Both she and the professor had thought that a male would only aggravate the situation.  
On the other hand, Wolverine himself had been raped. Perhaps worse than what had happened to Jubilee, if that was possible. As much as his adamantium skeleton and claws helped him on a daily basis, the torture that had given them to him and going through life without knowing your past would have been extremely traumatic. And it all made sense. Jubilee had needed someone she could relate to.  
And Jean still needed lunch. She passed Emma on the way there, and scowled. Emma hadn't even looked up, she stared at the floor and walked slowly back to whichever room she occupied. She had the look of a person who had just been kicked in the stomach, or had the rug pulled out from under her.  
Jean was still trying to figure out if it was some elaborate charade or if something truly terrible had happened to her and she had turned her life around. Either way, she would be no friend of Jean's. Bitterness wasn't usually her thing, but lately it had seemed to creep its way in.  
She entered the kitchen and made herself a sandwich. Only after she'd finished it and prepared to sit at the counter did she realize how quiet it was in the room. Beast, Bobby, Rogue, and Gambit sat with their respective partners, facing the others. She set the plate down heavily.  
"Alright. What happened." Jean asked taking a bite of her sandwich.  
"You undoubtedly know that Emma Frost is in the mansion." Hank said, breaking their silence.  
"Yes. As much as I'd like to toss her out, the Professor said she could stay. Its only temporary." Jean answered. Gambit rolled his eyes.  
"An' how many of us were gonna be 'temporary'?" Gambit mused.  
"She did something. I don't know what, but I heard a door slam, then Chimera ran away from me. Jean, What is going on? You'd know if she was using telepathy to hurt any of us, right?" Bobby asked, worry stamped on his forehead.  
"Unless she has some way of hiding it from me, I think I would. And if I couldn't, the Professor surely would. No one's seen Raien then? Those two are usually joined at the hip." Jean said, taking another bite.  
"I would venture a guess. Ms. Frost being here triggered some chain of events, leading me to believe that there is some past history between either Chimera or Raien and she. I was unaware that Raien was even conscious, but he is apparently gone from the mansion. Where he could go with his glowing eyes though... Well, it would reduce the possible places he could have gone." Hank said in his usual logical Mr. Spock voice.  
"Gambit tink de boy need time alone. Even Gambit gotta get out once in a while. He come back when he ready."  
Somehow Gambit seemed more logical than Hank for once. Jean nodded and left without food, in search of Chimera. She could feel that he was in his quarters on the other side of the mansion, but the pain emanating from him was tangible even this far away. She thought about what she could say as she walked. She didn't even really know what happened. She didn't even really know Chimera. She'd not taken the time to get to know him as she should have. There'd been so much going on that she and the rest of the team had simply acknowledged their presence and not gone any farther than that. She knew though, that she liked him. He was strong enough not to take anything from her loving husband, who was a little homophobic, and she could respect that.  
She arrived at the door and knocked, and felt that he had heard her, but was simply choosing not to acknowledge it. She pushed the door release and it slid open. Chimera lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, bearing a look very close to the one Jubilee had carried all morning.  
'Chimera,' Jean said into his mind. 'What happened?'  
'Gone.' Chimera responded. It wasn't a word though. Telepathy never was. It was a jumble of feelings and images. A door slamming. Eyes that she knew belonged to Raien, but no longer glowed. That he looked normal. That he didn't need Chimera anymore, and left him. All the pain and self hatred Chimera had inside him bound tightly around that one impression. Gone. Jean was surprised at how much that single word could mean. It was somewhere between 'Raien is gone', and 'I am gone.' She felt tears welling up in her eyes. The love that Chimera had for Raien was so beautiful, perhaps even more powerful than the love Scott had for her if that was possible. She could only begin to fathom the pain he was in, and didn't dare touch it directly. She put her arm around the huge man, the surprisingly soft golden fur and warmth seemed to contrast the feel of his mind. Cold and barren, like the sun refused to rise for him.  
  
Raien walked down the streets of Westchester. It really was a beautiful day, even with what happened. Raien hadn't been able to do this in years. No one looked up at him. No one pointed fingers and yelled at him or ran in terror. It was liberating. Though, he didn't linger on the thought for long. He'd left because he'd been betrayed. By the one person he thought would always be on his side. He felt like he was being the jerk though, and it made him angry. He wasn't wrong for wanting revenge. That woman was probably there to sell out the X-Men. To gain their trust the way she had his, and deliver them into the hands of her buddies, the Friends of Humanity.  
Raien's belly rumbled, and in a few minutes he saw a Chinese restaurant. A restaurant. His mouth watered at the thought alone. He could do this now. He could pass as a normal person. He felt his pockets and found that he'd remembered to put his wallet in, for once. He had nearly two hundred dollars inside it. One of the perks of living with a millionaire. He made sure that if the situation happened, his team was not without the means to at least survive for one day outside the mansion. Raien was grateful to the man. Xavier seemed nice enough, giving him a place to stay, treating his wounds twice now. But he didn't know if he wanted to go back. If that woman was still there, he wanted nothing to do with the place. He put the place from his mind. Though he knew it wasn't the place that he was trying to avoid thinking about.  
It became easier as soon as he entered the restaurant. He breathed deeply the smells of exotic foods, and as the waiter seated him, he knew exactly what he wanted. He didn't even wait for the menu to be passed out. The waiter nodded and walked swiftly away, leaving Raien alone again. He tapped his fingers on the dark wooden table, eagerly awaiting his food. But alone again, his mind wandered to thoughts of golden fur and pristine blue eyes. The warmth of Chimera's embrace, the feel of that fur against his naked skin. Raien shook his heads as if he could shake the thoughts from his mind. He needed something else to occupy his thoughts, but couldn't find anything. He was feeling more and more that he'd done the wrong thing in not letting Chimera explain what had happened. He was just beginning to think that he regretted leaving the mansion when the food arrived. Sizzling beef, hot and sour soup, and all the rice he could eat. His belly rumbled again as he thanked the waiter and ripped apart the wooden chop sticks. The food tasted great. Like nothing he'd had in years, and thoughts of his love took a step back, though Raien knew they would return.  
  
Hank was doubled over a table, his large fingers deftly navigating the keyboard of a laptop attached to a large black object faintly resembling a medieval bracer, minus the control panel on top. He'd been at this for hours, though the time hardly seemed to register. Complex formulae spilled forth from his mind into the machine so that he could get just the right effect. This sort of device had to be perfect, or it would fail in its purpose. The last piece of the puzzle was soon placed, and after running the bracer through several rigorous tests, Hank was satisfied. He walked down the hallway, in search of Chimera's room, which was very close to the laboratory. He knocked on the door. He heard a groan, but after a few moments passed, it became obvious that the occupant did not wish visitors.  
Too bad. Hank thought. He'd worked for too long on this to be simply denied now. He pushed the door release. Locked. Unsurprised, Hank entered the medical emergency code into the small panel. The door slid open crisply. Chimera sat in front of the television, staring blankly at it. More like through it, as if the wall was more interesting. The unmistakable look of heartbreak was plastered to his face, framed by un- brushed hair. Hank sighed. He'd been in much the same situation the few times Bobby had chosen to 'take a break' from the X-Men. He'd felt abandoned, though he hadn't really known what the feeling was, or the true feelings he'd had for Bobby.  
"Are you alright, Chimera?" Hank asked. Stupid question. Of course he wasn't alright. He got no response. "You would go after him if you could?"  
This time Chimera looked up. He slowly nodded. "But I can't. This is the only place where people wont treat me like some kind of monster. If it was as simple as just going and finding him, I'm sure I could..." Chimera said, his voice trailing off as his gaze hit the floor.  
"Maybe you can. Let me see your left arm, please." Hank said, a half smile on his face. Confused, Chimera simply held the arm out toward him. Hank clasped the bracer on his forearm. It was snug, but still fit. Hank pressed several buttons, and the air shimmered around Chimera for a moment before a new image appeared. Chimera looked down at his hands. Hands. With fingernails, not claws. He blinked. He looked at his arm, finding skin, not fur. He stood up quickly and looked in the mirror. He looked normal. Astonished, he looked back at Hank, who had a very pleased look on his face. He couldn't say anything. He was torn between wanting to cry in happiness or jump for joy. Instead, he silently embraced Hank. It took a moment for Hank to respond, but he did, putting one arm around Chimera's large form. The feeling of immense gratitude came from Chimera for a moment before he stepped out of the embrace, nodded to Hank, grabbed a long trench coat, and left.  
Hank smiled to himself as he walked back to his own room. The feeling of accomplishment had put him into a strange mood. Playful, but... Horny. He hoped Bobby was still in his room. He'd said he was going to sleep for a few more hours and then get up and shower. He knew he was probably much too late to catch Bobby in the act, though the thought was very arousing. As he passed through the door, he heard Bobby's voice inside the bathroom.  
"Hank? Hank! Help! I'm... Stuck." Bobby yelled, embarrassment in his voice.  
Hank slowly entered the bathroom, his brow furrowed in confusion, then suddenly snapping straight in shock. Bobby stood in the shower, frozen in a cone of ice coming from the shower head. His eyes were worried, but not pained. Hank smiled, walking toward him.  
"Now how exactly did this come about?" Hank asked, and eyebrow raised.  
"Damn hot water died. I don't know how it froze, but it did. God I'm sooo cold. Can you get me out?" Bobby said, eyes pleading. Hank had something else in mind.  
"So... My task here is simple. I must apply heat to make the ice melt so I can free my captive Bobby from his frozen prison..." Hank feigned thoughtfulness. Badly. "I wonder which piece I should start with?" He moved toward his target and Bobby's eyes narrowed. Hank moved into the shower and quickly turned off the water. He stopped in front of Bobby, who could only move his head, as his arms were trapped within the ice. His legs locked too, but Hank smiled to find the space between them delightfully... Exposed. He knelt down slowly and looked up at Bobby, who was obviously not in the mood, but also in no position to put up a fight. He licked Bobby's balls in one heavy stroke which halted before Hank thought it should have. He tried to pull away, but found his tongue wasn't in agreement.  
"No. No... Don't say it!" Bobby exclaimed. Hank groaned, and after a moment passed, they both laughed. Here they were, Bobby stuck in the shower, and now, Hank stuck to him. In the worst possible place. Hank tried a few moments more to free himself, but gave up soon. He looked up at Bobby and groaned again.  
"Well... Here we are. Now who the hell are we going to get to help us!?" Bobby said, exasperated. Hank chuckled. He was perfectly happy to stay right where he was until Bobby figured this out. Now if he could just work feeling back into his tongue.  
  
Night had fallen. Again. For the second night in a row, Raien sat alone on a stone bench in a dreary public park. For the whole day he'd tried to keep his mind on something else, but he'd honestly run out of topics. Now he just wallowed in regret at leaving the mansion. He thought he might have overreacted to Emma. Maybe he should have stayed because of her, so that she couldn't turn on them without someone watching. He shivered as a cold gust whipped past him, cold enough he could feel it in his bones. Raien's face in his hands, he sighed heavily. He realized now that he'd left a really good thing. That he'd probably burned a bridge between himself and the Xavier Institute that he may never be able to rebuild. He didn't want to think about what Chimera thought of him. He had after all, abandoned him.  
Raien looked up suddenly at the sound of hooves hitting gravel. He nearly had jumped from the bench when he realized it was someone on horseback. He sat back down. He thought about what he'd done and his guilt grew. He'd probably hurt Chimera worse than he'd even thought. If Chimera had left him, it would have hurt, yeah. He wouldn't ever be the same person again, but he would get through, and now, looking normal, he could find someone else. Chimera couldn't even walk down the street. The weight of his guilt set itself on his shoulders.  
A familiar smell found its way to his nostrils, and bleary-eyed, Raien looked up. He thought he'd smelled Chimera. But it wasn't him. A normal looking man stood in front of him, looking hard at him. Raien looked back down that the gravel trail in front of him. He didn't care what this man wanted to stare at. The man stood there for a moment, then sat down next to him.  
"You alright?" he asked, a shockingly normal voice, with a very slight New York accent.  
"Yeah." Raien lied through his teeth. It was obvious the other guy hadn't bought it, but he wasn't about to come up with some reason why he would be in the park at three in the morning. For that matter, Raien wondered what this man was doing here.  
"You look like you've got something on your mind." The man observed. Raien couldn't explain why, but he answered.  
"I did something terrible." Raien said, looking at the gravel as a thick tear rolled down his face. "I left the only person I've ever cared for."  
A moment passed before the man responded. "For good? Or if you could, would you go back?"  
Raien looked at him, his unremarkable face, his unremarkable clothes, his all too remarkable smell. He didn't know. He wanted to go back, he wanted to just pretend none of it had happened, and just go strolling back in through the front door, but he didn't know if Chimera would forgive him. He wondered if the situation were reversed, would he forgive himself? Raien's mouth curled downwards and his eyes burned furiously, and before he could stop it, a sob escaped him. He felt a hot tear roll down his cheek.  
"Raien," said the man, making Raien look up in confusion. A hand wiped the wetness from his cheek. He felt silken fur on those fingers. And the smell made sense. He looked into blue eyes which he knew so well and another tear dropped from his face. "Please... Please come home." 


	17. Another Beginning

Sorry again for the delay on getting this out. I've been... occupied. ;)

Being single is nice, but being with someone is a great experience, I'd highly reccomend it! These will be coming out a little slower now, but I guarantee feedback speeds me along. To know someone is interested is a wonderful wonderful thing. Thank you all for the emails, each of them really made my day!

DISCLAIMER: Raien and Chimera are mine. I can do pretty much whatever with them. Sadly, the rest of the team isn't. I'm only borrowing them from MARVEL to do horrible horrible things to them! Thank god i'm not in charge of X4 ;)

17.

Wakimoto smiled. The drugs were beginning to take effect. He was the first, the oldest U-Man. He had single handedly brought down hundreds of mutants, saving the crème de la crème of their talents for himself. He was becoming powerful, and soon no one would be able to stop him. He didn't care much for the ideas of FoH, but they seemed to be the only ones who's ambitions aligned enough with his for them to consider aiding him. After all, one of their goals were the same. They both wanted mutants dead. The only real difference is how they arrived at that end. He'd overseen the slaughter of hundreds, and enjoyed it immensely. These people were no better than sheep. They were weak, and they didn't use the incredible gifts they'd been given. He smiled menacingly. If they were unwilling to use them properly, he would take them. He wanted his victims to die knowing this, and knowing that because of them, it would become easier and easier for him to do what he did.  
Now he lay on a surgery table, with the only surgeon he trusted to perform these grafts. A man he paid well, but also someone he had a choke hold on. He held the man's child, and only Wakimoto knew where she was. The tactic had proven most useful in giving him loyal subordinates. Except when mistakes happened, as the fools at Sanctuary 03 found out. He now knew better than to let such a powerful mutant loose without a leash. As his vision blurred, he looked to the right.  
On the table next to him, a woman was just waking, to find herself where she was. She screamed and struggled, but several men held her down. A deep chuckle came from Wakimoto's chest. They'd isolated this mutant's ability of flight to her shimmering blue skin. He watched intently as his surgeon moved to her, scalpel in hand. The man should have looked as though he wanted to vomit, but after the things he'd already done for Wakimoto, this was pale in comparison. The screams stopped as Wakimoto watched the mutant staring in stark terror at the blade. Whimpers and pleading next, Wakimoto knew the way this story played out. His eyelids became heavy, just as the knife began to scrape the skin from her flesh. Her screams filled the room. She'd been given nothing for her pain. Just as Wakimoto had ordered. He liked the sound. It was the sound of power.  
  
The television was on in the main recreation room of the mansion. Raien and Chimera had curled up on the large couch together, a large thick blanket between them. Raien soaked up the warmth of Chimera's body. He'd thought, when they'd first gotten together that Chimera had been running a fever, but it turned out it was just part of the mutation. His body temperature was naturally high, making his company that much more enjoyable. He'd been a fool to ever think about leaving. They really hadn't spoken since the night before on the bench. They'd been just as they were now. Silent. Though neither really wanted to speak. Both were somewhere between being asleep and awake, simply watching whatever was on, though not really caring what. Raien was so grateful to have this second chance. He'd been shocked that Chimera would have come after him, but what scared him was the fact that the whole conversation was not pleading for him to come back, it was to be sure that leaving was what Raien wanted. He didn't know what Chimera would have done had he chosen to stay away from the mansion, and his lover. He didn't want to think about it. Instead he breathed in a deep chest full of Chimera's soft scent and put a knee over Chimera's so he could snuggle in closer. Whatever happens, Chimera, you're stuck with me now. Raien thought. A thumb traced the outline of his jaw and Raien melted happily into unconsciousness.  
  
Scott had just finished an evening run and wanted to relax for a while. He'd hoped that the main rec-room television wasn't in use, but as he rounded the corner, he found the room occupied. He about flinched in disgust when he saw who was there. Chimera reached a large paw-like hand to Raien's head, gently stroking the top of his ear with a furry thumb. Raien had fallen asleep. Chimera softly kissed Raien's forehead and smiled, as if living in heaven, something he hadn't thought those people did. Scott was frozen. As he looked at the expression on Chimera's cat- like face, he realized something. What he saw wasn't an abomination of nature. He saw love, pure and simple. The way Raien hugged Chimera tighter in his sleep was exactly what Jean did. He suddenly felt very humbled, as if he was seeing the ocean for the first time, having never thought of it as anything more than a big puddle.  
Was he blind to this before now? Had he not noticed the way they looked at each other? He'd tried to play off the holding hands thing as some kind of 'statement', but now he doubted that too. He knew something had happened a few days ago, driving Raien from the mansion, and Scott hadn't given it much thought. He'd never even really given Raien a chance. He had a very valuable talent; he'd proved that much on the last mission. That too stuck out in Scott's mind. As he looked back, he remembered something else. Just after everyone had gotten aboard the Blackbird, Hank had tried to get Chimera to let go of Raien so he could treat a wound. Chimera had barred teeth and snarled like an animal. Scott now recognized that as a protective thing, and not just an irrational moment of frustration.  
He stood in the hallway as pieces came together. How Bobby and Hank had always looked at each other, how neither had said anything or done anything until recently, and how they both seemed to be so happy lately. Those two had been the most depressed out of all the X-Men. Bobby because he lived a charade to hide his homosexuality. And Hank, who because of his appearance, couldn't even go shopping. He really felt for Hank. Scott had thought the poor man would never find anyone who would see him for the wonderful person he was, that they would always see the beastly exterior. Hank was always the first one to jump to another's aid, or to comfort someone who was having a rough time, and Scott had to admit, he was glad to see Hank finally on the receiving end of that. How had this not made sense before? Scott still didn't want to see them making out or having sex, but was it so different than the way he and Jean made love? He was torn now between the way he'd been brought up, the Church's stance on homosexuality and what he was seeing with his own eyes. He needed somewhere quiet to think. Maybe he could figure it all out. And maybe he could start thinking of a way to apologize to both couples, who he'd offended several times because he'd refused to open his eyes. He sighed as he turned down the hallway. Maybe he could apologize after he figured it out.  
  
A flash of burning agony and horror filled her vision making her cling to the strong arms that held her. She didn't know what had set this one off. A smell, a touch, a taste, a sound could have done it. Since what had happened while in the hands of FoH, this had been her whole existence. The moment finally ended, and she could once again relax. Tears kept falling from her eyes, even though she knew she shouldn't possibly have any left. Wolverine was there, his arms tightly around her, calming, soothing, protecting. Whispering only that things would get better and rocking her softly. He didn't try to offer any words of advice, or try to help her cope. He was simply there for her, as he had been all day, and the day before that. He hadn't even gone back to his room that night. She wondered why he would do this for her. She wondered why she'd never seen this side of him before. But she was grateful for every second, every hour he spent here.  
Jean had wanted her to deal with what had happened. She'd tried to draw Jubilee from within herself so that some kind of healing could occur. Jubilee turned slowly, and the strong arms helped her so she could lay her head on Wolverine's chest. He didn't smell like other men. There was just something different. And the way he spoke now, she could feel some of the pain he lived through daily. She'd not noticed that subtle tone in his voice until she'd recognized it in her own. It was like the edge of a sob, but only barely. The sound of past pain, like a scar that wouldn't fade. One of the few Wolverine's body allowed him to have.  
Jubilee just lay there, hoping Logan wouldn't have to leave. She found herself now thinking of him as Logan, and not the unreachable, unattainable, mysterious Wolverine. She could feel sleep creeping its way closer, and for a moment, she feared it. She looked up, deep into brown eyes.  
"you don't have to stay" Jubilee said slowly. And that was how it came out too. No capitals. Minimal punctuation. The hollow sound of someone who had lost her soul. But the look in Logan's eyes wasn't the look of a watchful parent, nor a look of strained pity. As Jubilee put her head back against his chest and let his heartbeat soothe her towards sleep, she got the faintest notion that maybe Wolverine needed to hold someone as badly as Jubilee needed to be held. Sleep finally caught up to her, and she drifted off to dreams, for once unclouded with the bitter taste of semen or the horrible words that had stayed with her far longer than anything ever should have.  
  
Half asleep, Hank brushed a hand over Bobby's back. They were finally alone again. Not that Hank had any problems with spending time with the rest of the team, but Bobby was different now. He held his total attention. He was finding work difficult to concentrate on. He would keep getting a whiff of Bobby's scent, which now hung heavily on his coat. He liked the feeling though. He knew he was the only one, save Wolverine who would be able to detect it, but he still felt as though he was somehow marked, as if he carried a sign with him saying "I am loved. By the Iceman."  
His eyes slowly opened as his fingertips chilled. Bobby was asleep sprawled on top of him, seemingly his favorite position. Something that Hank would eventually have to alter, because he never really slept right unless he was on his side. A moment later, his thoughts became sharp again, as he was jerked fully from sleep. He could feel a small section of slick ice, on the small of Bobby's back. He softly laid his hand on it, so he could melt it without waking Bobby. He tried to think of something else, tried to think how lucky he was to be in bed with this man. His friend, and now his companion. He tried not to think about his hand becoming numb, and how the ice wasn't melting.  
"Bobby..." Hank whispered, gently waking the sleeper atop him, kissing his forehead. A sleepy smile on his face, Bobby looked at him.  
"Mmm?" He replied. A typical Bobby response. Barely a word of its own right.  
"Are you alright?" Hank asked, concern thick in his low voice. He dragged a claw over the patch of hard ice so that Bobby knew what he was talking about. Bobby squinted at a point in space Hank couldn't see, and he felt the frost soften and revert back to normal skin.  
"Musta been having a dream." Bobby whispered, laying his head back on Hank's broad, soft chest. Satisfied, Hank nodded, kissed Bobby and closed his eyes again.  
Bobby's eyes didn't close though. He heard and felt Hank's breathing turn to the slow relaxed rhythm of sleep, but Bobby couldn't find it again. What he'd told Hank wasn't entirely true. He had been dreaming, and about changing to Iceman, but he never changed in his sleep. And the small patch of ice Hank was talking about seemed stubborn in leaving. Bobby was reminded of nightmares he'd had ever since his power manifested itself. It was the reason he'd held back his powers all these years. He would feel it going rapidly out of control and he would stop, trying to convince himself that he was out of ice. But the truth was he was afraid. Afraid that one day he wouldn't be able to turn back from his Iceman form. That he would be left as a glittering crystalline shape for the rest of his life, trapped. Bobby shivered. Instinctively, Hanks arms tightened around him, and Bobby was grateful for the warmth of his body. But sleep was a long time coming. And when his dreams finally did catch him, all he could see was himself standing in the middle of a frozen wasteland, a lonely statue, seeing everything around him, hearing everything, but stuck. Unmoving. Silent. Alone.  
  
Emma sat in her room feeling alone. And she was, here at least. She used to not care. Everything she did was for the advancement of her own plans, her own goals, her own ambitions. She used to be the White Queen. She used to be someone important. But now she walked around the hallways only to go to and from the kitchen when she got hungry enough to actually need food. She'd felt that Raien had come back into the mansion, which on some level made her feel better. She really liked Chimera. And normally she didn't like anyone. He was so open, so caring, and so naïve. The old Emma would have used that to her advantage in some way. After she'd let everything out, she'd felt for a few moments that she could become the White Queen once more, that she could regain some of what she'd lost when her daughter was taken from her. Not the cruelness and heartlessness she used to enjoy, but the confidence and backbone she now so sorely lacked.  
As her mind drifted from person to person, it finally fell on Raien. She was surprised to be able to see into his mind. When she'd last tried, it had been like a slippery bar of soap that couldn't be held onto. But now it was wide open. And she could see damage. Where a normal person's mind was a tapestry of emotions, memories, and feelings, Raien's was torn. Some of the threads leading to the wrong places. When she looked in farther, she felt as though she could help him. She could tell he was asleep, so her intrusion wouldn't be discovered. As she began re-spinning the fragile threads of Raien's consciousness, she became aware of how vast the task was. There were literally millions of threads. It was like trying to untangle a great mass of rope.  
A slight shimmer in her outermost thoughts let her know that Xavier was watching. She ignored him and started. She found herself quickly tiring. She then sensed something as Xavier moved farther into her mind. Approval. And an offer of assistance. Emma continued to act as though he wasn't there, and eventually the man went away, leaving her alone again, wading through the tangled mass of Raien's mind.  
Emma sensed something suddenly, and as Raien awoke, his mind slicked over once more, expelling Emma from it, somewhat painfully to her. As she lay down in her bed, she thought of this as her penance. That maybe if she could help one she'd wronged, maybe something of her own dignity could return to her. And Raien would never have to know she helped him.  
  
Raien woke with a start, feeling disoriented. He felt something that didn't seem quite right, but the thought faded rapidly as Chimera's arm tightened around his waist. He didn't even remember coming from the Rec Room back to their quarters. Chimera must have carried him. Raien smiled, and as a meaty thumb stroked his cheek he knew that Chimera was awake now too. He opened his eyes, to an almost un-natural darkness. He missed the illumination his eyes normally gave off. Raien realized that he hadn't really said much to Chimera since coming back with him early that morning. He'd become so fatigued on the walk home, that Chimera had tried to stop and let him rest, but when whatever device he was using to look normal began to flicker, he simply picked Raien up in some kind of front side gorilla carry. Raien loved the feeling. How easily Chimera could lift him. Raien kicked himself silently for even thinking that there could be anything better. He slowly rolled over so he could look into Chimera's eyes.  
"I'm sorry." Raien whispered. He was about to say something else, when Chimera's lips met his slowly and gently. Barely touching at first, then soft pressure. Raien melted into the embrace. Sometimes he felt like Chimera could talk to him without words, as he was doing right now. In the kiss, somehow Raien knew he was forgiven. He was in awe of his lover. After what Raien had done... To be forgiven so easily, so readily was beyond him. Raien pulled back, his hands on the sides of Chimera's broad catlike face. He was about to open his mouth when Chimera spoke first.  
"Because I love you." He whispered, totally taking Raien's breath away. He looked into those blue eyes, seeing in them hope, and endlessly overflowing love. Raien knew at that moment that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with this man. Not just live day to day. Hunted by one hate group or another. Discriminated against by humans for being mutants, and by mutants for being gay. Raien wanted to be free to settle down, and eerie feeling to his usual independent spirit. As he looked into those eyes. He was taken in, and spoke.  
"I don't ever want to be with anyone else but you, Chimera. No one. Ever." Raien said in a shaky voice. He thought he was about to start crying, which would have made him feel really stupid, and more than a little queeny. Chimera was silent for a moment.  
Raien was his world. Like the sun defined day, Raien defined him. Chimera couldn't explain when it had happened, or why it had happened so rapidly, but he knew that despite anything that would change, he didn't want to be with anyone but him. He wanted there to be another step to their relationship. He was frustrated at what others could have and what they couldn't. Jean and Scott were married, and Chimera was envious. He scolded himself constantly for it, but he couldn't shake the feeling that they had something he couldn't. Especially in this world, with hate groups in power, there was no way, ever, that he could marry this man. They could be with each other forever, but though it was only a promise and a few bands of metal, Chimera wanted it. Marriage was something that his mother had always told him even he could have. That the church couldn't stop even a mutant from it. But she hadn't known about this. He felt a twinge of pain at her memory, and a spike of hatred of the men who'd killed her. He desperately wanted to be able to tell her everything. He wanted her to be able to meet the man he loved. Chimera pulled Raien closer and laid his large head on his lover's chest. Absently he stroked his thumb on his left ring finger, knowing it would always be naked. That marriage was only for the straight, the normal. And it was painfully obvious to anyone that he was neither.  
Raien lay in silence, wondering what was going through Chimera's mind. He noticed him thumbing his ring finger, obviously lost in thought. Raien wanted to do something, but he didn't know what. Chimera had been there for him since he was abducted from the sewers. He'd saved his life, and given him a reason to do something but hide all the time. Even though he'd lost his powers, Chimera made him feel more than just a man. As if in his eyes, Raien still defied gravity. Chimera had barely left his side since he'd come back. Or rather, been carried back. It was almost like Chimera was trying to physically hold him close, that if Raien was out of sight for more than a few minutes, he might try to leave again. It couldn't have been farther from the truth. Despite all that had happened over the past few days, or maybe because of it, Raien looked at his lover with a sense of wonder.  
He needed to think, and though he didn't want to leave the comfortable feelings of where he was right now, he knew he couldn't keep a clear head with Chimera so close. He kissed the man's furry forehead and slowly rolled Chimera from him.  
"I need to get something to drink. I'll be back in a few minutes. Do you want anything?" Raien said slowly. Chimera looked at him for a moment in confusion, but he could sense that Raien needed to be alone for a short time, and respected that. "Give me a few minutes, I'll be back. Don't move a muscle." He finished, smiling.  
Raien walked into the hallways, and eventually found the kitchen. He noticed that he felt remarkably stronger than he had that afternoon. He didn't know if he was healing, or if it was just being back with Chimera, but the difference was tangible. He poured himself a large glass of milk from the carton in the fridge and took a long gulp before setting the glass down on the counter. He heard footsteps, and a moment later, Jean walked in, rubbing tired eyes. She looked at him for a moment and smiled warmly, retrieving her own glass of milk. Se sat across from him, and was content to sit with him in silence.  
Raien looked at her, and he could sense how happy she was. Not just the mood that she had at the moment, but the general air around her. She was content. Raien felt that too, but there was something he was missing that she had. He tried to figure it out, and felt very stupid when his gaze found her left ring finger. He stared at the ring there for a long time. Sure it was a beautiful ring, and had probably cost a fortune. But Raien slowly realized what it represented. He looked back to Jean, who had caught him staring, and was just looking at him, waiting for him to speak first.  
"How is it? Being married, I mean?" Raien asked slowly, seeing her eyes begin to glitter. A slow smile spread onto her crimson lips.


	18. Frozen

* * *

Hank easily dodged the piercing blast of the danger room's pulse cannons. He found himself distracted today, as it was the first session since he'd discovered Bobby. He found himself looking over his shoulder more than he should. He knew Bobby could hold his own, but this morning, he'd seemed to be genuinely dreading training. A blade nearly hit him as he'd paused to think. Their goal today was simply to make it to the other side of the room. Hank had taken the lead and they were making slow and steady progress through the mass of obstacles and assorted weapons.  
  
Several cannons locked on as Hank realized he'd made a serious mistake. He'd gotten too far ahead of the others, and the cannons were based on motion detection. "Cyclops, if you would do the honors." Hank said calmly and clearly through the headset radio as he leapt forward, landing one open palm, then easily springing back to his feet, presenting minimal aspect, and deftly evading the searing beams, while giving his one-eyed compatriot time to take out the source. Hank was barely breaking a sweat, and was feeling particularly agile, even this early in the morning.

* * *

The day had started better than most Hank could remember. For once, he had been awake before Bobby, and was feeling more playful than usual. Something which had taken a slightly different turn than normal. He thought for a long time, perhaps nearly an hour about how he wanted to wake his lover, then he finally landed on one that was extremely appealing to him. He was still grinning even now. He'd spent nearly twenty minutes slowly rolling Bobby onto his back so as not to wake him in the process. He used the same technique to move lower on Bobby's sleeping form, almost laughing though his muscles ached in the slow effort. Bobby continued to slumber. Finally, Hank's shoulders got some rest when he let his elbows rest on either side of his lover's hips. The way he smelled stirred him deep in his chest, awakening a hunger he'd come to delight in fulfilling. Carefully and slowly, he took Bobby in his mouth, feeling him swell instantly, still asleep. A few more seconds passed before Bobby's eyelids fluttered open.  
  
"Nuhh... Hank..." Bobby gasped, a sleepy smile ear to ear. Hank's tongue swirled and lapped, quickly making Bobby's breath come faster in those halting gasps that let him know he was driving his lover wild. Fingers intertwined in Hank's hair just as his own hands moved to stroke Bobby's nipples. The salty-sweet taste of Bobby's pre-cum filled Hank's senses and spurred him on. The fingers on Hank's head stopped stroking and Bobby's hips began moving. Hank pinched and twisted his lover's nipples, something he knew Bobby craved. He could tell Bobby was close. His whole body ached in anticipation as he felt Bobby was nearing release. His mouth moved up and down, his tongue sweeping hungrily around the base. He heard Bobby stop breathing, he sucked hard and Bobby groaned as he thrust his hips upward, Hank riding the spasming beauty underneath him, taking every drop, and even though he knew better, he could feel it in his toes. Hank gently sucked until Bobby's breathing came back to normal.  
  
The hands on his head pulled him upwards and Bobby kissed him fiercely before grabbing two handfuls of chest fur and rolling Hank onto his back. Just then Hank saw the clock. They had to be in the danger room in twenty minutes.  
  
"Bobby, we have to..." But it was obvious Bobby didn't care, or thought they could still make it. "We cant..." Hank's eyes rolled into the back of his head, helpless to resist what Bobby was doing to him. "Not enough time..." He managed to whisper as the last of his will power slipped from his grasp. He knew they were going to be late. He was not far from release but he knew there was no way they could possibly make it. His eyes opened as he felt a finger on his ass hole. About to protest, Bobby slid it in and found Hank's prostate. He totally lost control over everything. All he could feel was the burning need and Bobby's mouth, more intense than he could have imagined. It was too early, but Hank couldn't hold it back, as he groaned filling Bobby's mouth. He didn't stop. He couldn't. His body shook as Bobby's finger stroked hard. Hank's head slammed back and forth and he had no idea if he was howling or crying until the feeling finally began to subside. He looked down to see that Bobby had tried valiantly to contain him, but to no avail. As he pulled his mouth off of Hank, a thick white band stuck to his chin.

* * *

Hank sighed, and was nearly decapitated by a swinging blade, coming to his senses just in time to vault backwards. He scolded himself for such a lapse in concentration as he righted himself. He'd earned a smile from Bobby, and wondered why he hadn't changed to Iceman yet. Perhaps he just wanted more of a challenge. His lover hadn't looked forward at all to this session, but he hadn't actually said he wasn't going to be coming, so Hank had quickly gotten dressed and they'd left together. Another blade nearly hit him and Hank forced his mind to stay on the problem at hand. Anything else, he could think about later.  
  
He bounded forward, seeing several pulse cannons rise from the floor ahead. He jumped from his hands, then sprung from his feet, landing on a cannon, and using his momentum to rip it from its base. The others instantly turned to face him, and a crimson blast took two of the remaining four out. Hank flipped again, landing on one of them, smashing it back into the socket it had come out of, feeling a small explosion as it fired into the steel in front of it, shattering the poor device. Scott had just taken out the remaining cannon as eight more rose behind them.  
  
Instantly Bobby's skin was covered in smooth ice. He extended his arms forward and buried all eight in a mound of solid ice before catching up to the rest of the group on an ice slide. Together again, they calmly walked forward, their goal in sight.

* * *

Storm sat in the danger room control room feeling frustrated. She was throwing so much at them, but they were still moving too quickly. With a half grin, she turned on all the defenses between them and the end of the room, her hand placed carefully over the abort button incase it was too much. She watched Hank and Scott nearly jump out of their skins when they saw near twenty cannons, and some ten blades locking on. She was caught totally off guard when Bobby's body shot forward, spiraling tightly around the others. He was leaving a slide behind him, but Storm hadn't seen him do this before. He wasn't standing on the slide, it was as if his body was simply forming into it. Within seconds, a solid tube of black ice was between the team and the finish line. She watched Hank and Scott walked through, smiling, toward a waiting Iceman. Storm groaned. She'd have to come up with a harder scenario next time.

* * *

"Well done Bobby! I had no idea you were capable of that! You know, your powers have really grown recently." Scott said, approval obvious in his voice. It seemed forever since Scott had said something positive to Bobby.  
  
Hank looked at his lover, knowing something was wrong. Slowly, he walked to him and put a reassuring arm around his back. "Is everything alright?" He asked softly. Bobby looked up at him with confusion in his eyes.  
  
"No." He answered, horror replacing confusion. Concern lit Hank's face. He hugged Bobby gently.  
  
"What is it?" Hank asked, barely audible. Bobby just put his head to his shoulder. Hank held him close, then straightened, bringing Bobby's feet off the floor. He'd put the pieces together, the look on Bobby's face couldn't be interpreted any other way. It was the look of someone trapped. Hank walked out of the danger room carrying his love, and when his chest and shoulders went numb from the intense cold of Bobby's form, he held on tighter knowing that when they got to the infirmary Hank could make it better. There was a solution to every problem. He kissed the side of Bobby's frozen face softly as they rounded the final corner.

* * *

Hank had been working on solving Bobby's problem for several hours. It seemed that his body was composed entirely of ice, now. All the laws of physics stated that the poor man shouldn't even be alive, yet here he was. Well, in his quarters, but alive nonetheless. He'd started by taking a sample of Bobby's 'skin'. But under the microscope, it was just ice. With a bestial howl, Hank threw the microscope across the room, watching it break apart on a steel cabinet. He was feeling increasingly more helpless. Unable to do anything. He sat down heavily on one of the stools and racked his brain. He just didn't know where to begin. He'd told Bobby he'd found something, but he suspected Bobby knew he was bluffing. His shoulder began to twitch in that way muscles do right before you break down.  
  
He heard the door open. The clacking of hooves on the floor, let him know who it was. "Hey, Hank. Do you have a moment?" Chimera asked delicately. He didn't know specifically what had happened, but he knew that something was terribly wrong. The whole mansion had been silent all morning.  
  
Hank looked up, bringing his face out of his large hands. He noticed that as much as he loathed his own mutation, to have Chimera's would be worse. Hank could, on occasion, go into the world. He could see a movie late at night, order a hot dog, but only with the help of a long trench coat and wide brimmed hat. Chimera's mutation was blatantly obvious to anyone who saw him. His head began to throb. Here they all were, the lion, the beast, and the iceman. All stuck forever in a form that branded them exactly what they were. Or more accurately, what they weren't.  
  
"What can I do for you Chimera?" Hank asked, hoping it wasn't something that would take very long. Though hank really couldn't see what was going to change. There was still next to nothing he could do. He wasn't making any progress, and it was starting to just make him frustrated.  
  
"I've done a lot of thinking. Raien's already joined the team, and though I would rather avoid fighting, I want to be able to contribute." Chimera said slowly. Hank was genuinely glad to hear this, but he couldn't muster a simple smile.  
  
"What did you have in mind?" Hank asked simply.  
  
"I was thinking Medicine. I'd always wanted to help people. Maybe as a way to show that I'm a normal person on the inside, that I'm a good person, not a monster. I just never figured I could ever go to Med School looking like this. But I suppose you could say, healing is in my blood." Chimera explained with the smallest hint of a smile.  
  
Hank sighed. He would welcome the help. The only other person on the team who ever helped him with his work was Jean. And there was only so much she could do. She was a great person, and a smart woman, but she just wasn't passionate about it. She would help in what she could, but couldn't take the initiative and work with him. She'd always worked for him. Hank could see in Chimera that he wanted to help, and that there was passion there. It brought a small short lived smile to his face. He thought about what he could start with.  
  
"Alright. I guess we'll start with the problem at hand." He said, soon going on to explain Bobby's predicament. As he explained several concepts, he found that Chimera could grasp them easily. He noticed Chimera rapidly picking up theories and easily comprehending many things that Hank hadn't been able to talk or debate with anyone but himself. He actually smiled, and felt some of the weight on his shoulders lift. He returned to work, with an avid pupil at his side, providing new ideas, fresh thoughts, and a comforting hand on his back.

* * *

Jubilee was walking outside in the mansion's grounds, in a small wooded area. She still wasn't ready to talk to anyone, and having Logan still here beside her was comforting. She was beginning to find pieces of herself, putting them back together like a broken vase. She knew she would never be the same. She felt so different now. She knew she was nowhere near as naïve as she had been. She carried a queasy feeling now, a constant reminder of how her innocence had been stolen from her.  
  
She sat slowly on a stone bench, grateful for the trees around her. Logan looked at her for a a moment before sitting, almost as if asking permission. She felt extremely safe with him there, something which had helped her begin to live again. The days shed spent alone had been full of fear and loneliness. She was normally a very upbeat person. She wondered if she could ever find that again. This afternoon, she would do something she'd dreaded since shed first thought about it a few days before. She was going to have Hank do her blood work. Today. He'd left her a brief, yet heartfelt letter offering his services as both a physician and a friend. She realized now that she should have done it earlier, but she didn't know if she really wanted to find out. She knew she would need to get tested. She couldn't, she didn't want to remember how many men had...  
  
Logan gently put an arm around Jubilee, sensing she was reliving what had happened again. Something, which in a way, he envied and feared at the same time. While he desperately wanted to know about his past, he was generally only bothered by flashes of memory in his dreams. He didn't know who was worse off, but he wanted to do his best to help her any way possible. After all, it had been her, early on, who had gotten him to laugh for the first time in years. He'd always liked her, though he'd tried his best to keep his distance. He'd looked at her as a younger sibling for a long time. Only recently, was he coming to realize what a complex and good person she was.  
  
Logan looked back on the rescue. He could smell several scents on her, most of which he didn't recognize, but he remembered having run into two of them on the way in. It felt good to know that the world was rid of at least a few of the bastards who did this to such an innocent person. He felt his claws shift inside his forearm, as if they wanted to spring through the skin. He wanted to shred something, but more than that, he wanted to be here. It was strange that he didn't feel obligated to help Jubilee. It just wasn't like that. And it wasn't exactly to help a friend. He'd never really been good at that kind of thing anyway. He couldn't explain why he'd spent the last six days with her. It went far above and beyond what a friend normally did. He felt his eyes linger on hers whenever she managed to look directly at him.  
  
It was one of those many things that he wanted to help her rediscover. High on his list was something he himself didn't do often enough. He maintained a gruff and hard appearance, which wasn't really for show. He actually was like that. But that wasn't to say he wasn't human. He rapidly realized why he was here, why he'd spent so much time with her. All the crying she'd done, all the pain she'd gone through had done something to him. It had made him feel.

* * *

Raien woke from a brief nap, feeling a light headache and noticing the room was empty. For the most part, Chimera seemed to just enjoy spending time either in bed, on the internet, or watching television. Or just talking softly. Raien got out of bed, still wearing the jeans and T-Shirt he'd worn all morning. He felt his belly rumble, and made his way slowly down the hallways, finding himself in an abnormally crowded cafeteria. He recognized Storm, Jean, Cyclops, Rogue, and Gambit, surprisingly all at the same table. His belly ached as he smelled something he'd dreamt about for years. Philly Cheese steaks.  
  
He thanked the person cooking them profusely and boldly took a seat directly across from Cyclops, only barely asking if the seat was taken before sitting. As he savored the beloved sandwich, he noticed Cyclops's eyes on him. He looked up and the man didn't move, but Raien could tell he'd looked down, though it was impossible to see into that visor he wore. He was mildly curious as to why he was getting the weird looks and why the table was so silent. For a moment, Raien thought his eyes had started glowing again, but a look into the mirrored wall ruled that out. He groaned.  
  
"Alright, what happened this time?" He asked. He was beginning to think their lives would never slow down.  
  
"Bobby. He's stuck in his Iceman form. We're not really sure what happened, but he's taking it really badly." Scott explained, sounding as if being stuck as a living ice sculpture was not the end of the world. Raien didn't outright hate the man, more of a sad feeling because Cyclops was living in his own little world. A place where he understood all, and everyone listened.  
  
"So does this crap ever stop?" Raien asked, sighing. He'd intended it as a joke, but when their eyes all hit the table, Raien realized the truth in his words. So he joined in the silence and ate his beloved cheese steak. He was in pretty good spirits, despite hearing about Bobby. And then it all fell apart when Emma walked in. She somehow looked as though she'd not slept, while pulling off a cold detatchment, which she apparently thought men found attractive. She was also wearing a much more low cut top than Raien had seen her in before. He glared at her, but she didn't even look at him. She simply fixed herself a salad, then took the plate out of the cafeteria. When Raien looked back to the table, Scott's eyes had just pried themselves from her body. Raien smiled grimly. Surely this was one example where being married to a telepath would bite him in the ass. He'd probably have some explaining to do.

* * *

Bobby sat in his quarters for the first time in what felt like forever. He and Hank had alternated rooms for a while, then eventually settled on Hank's room, as it was larger to the place they could both stay. But Xavier had insisted that Bobby keep his own room, even if he didn't ever use it. Today, he was grateful for the man's wisdom. The gloomy weather outside matched his mood. All he could hear was the sound of the Air Conditioner. The bloody Air Conditioner. He glanced at it and heard the whine of motors stopping as icicles began to form in the vent. Finally there was complete silence. Bobby crawled into his bed, which now felt so foreign to him. He just lay there looking at his hand, musing that only people high on drugs ever did this. The corners of his mouth turned down as that train of thought progressed. For those people, it was just a 'bad trip'. For Bobby, it was his worst nightmare come true, and not something that would ever go away.  
  
His stomach growled, earning a wry smile from Bobby. According to Hank, he was now composed entirely of ice. His friend had been at a total loss to help him, but vowed to work day and night to do anything he could. Bobby rose to his feet and moved down the hallway in search of food. He didn't want to talk to anyone, he didn't want to see anyone, but more importantly, he didn't want them to see him. They were bad enough after he'd tried to kill himself.  
  
He walked through the door into a blessedly quiet cafeteria. Until he looked to his right. He saw Scott and Jean already getting up to leave, and Raien, Rogue, Storm, and Gambit still seated. He saw the looks of sympathy form on their faces and sighed. Storm and Rogue stood, bearing that motherly look women can get from time to time. Bobby shook his head, turned and left. He'd wait till later to grab food.  
  
"Bobby, ya wanna talk?" Said Rogue's soft voice as she flew up behind him. He stopped in the hallway, about to make some snippy comment about her not knowing what he was going through, but stopped in his tracks. His stiff upper lip softened and his shoulders sagged. She landed next to him and put a gloved hand on his shoulder. She knew better than he did.  
  
"C'mon, hun." She said, dragging him off down the hallway and into one of the conference rooms no one ever used. She locked the door and sat across the table from him. Both stared at nothing but the table top. For all Rogue's confidence, she had no idea what to tell him. She could say she knew what he felt, but that sounded hollow, even in her head. There were too many people that tried to 'help' her. She looked at Bobby and saw that little would help him. Nothing she could say especially.  
  
She broke the silence anyway. "You'll find a way, Bobby." She said softly. He just looked doubtfully in her direction then continued staring at the table.

* * *

They'd talked for a while about nothing, but Rogue didn't get the impression that anything was helping. She'd told him how she and Gambit had tried for years to find a way, and most of the tricks they'd used, but Bobby's case was a little different. His skin was ice cold. It just wouldn't be possible for him to use a simple latex sheet.  
  
Rogue was tired, and she really needed a hug. Being with Bobby for even just an hour brought back too many harsh memories. He was just going through all the things she'd had to come to terms with. It had really dragged her day down.  
  
She felt a finger slide softly against the bare skin on the back of her neck, just long enough for her to suddenly be filled with fiery lust, not her own, but Gambit's. She really could be angry with him for doing this, but at the feelings melded with her own, the damage was already done. She spun around to see her lover with a terrible looking grin on his face. She'd wanted this for the past week. Since he'd been shot, they'd avoided doing anything to re-open the wound. Rogue couldn't figure out if it was more desperation or that he really was alright, and based on the feelings she'd gotten from his touch, apparently he wasn't either.  
  
A hand slid softly up the back of her tight shirt, making her shiver as more and more of Gambit flowed into her. He pulled back a moment later as his knees began to shake. Slowly he moved forward, gently nudging Rogue closer to the bed. She smiled demurely, and Gambit was once again reminded of all the times she'd teased him and played with him. Today was his revenge. He smiled wickedly as he reached for the collar that lay on the end table. He disliked the device, but it was necessary. As he clasped it around her neck, he heard her gasp, like someone who was going underwater. After a moment, she opened her eyes and nodded.  
  
His breath caught in his throat as he reached up under the spandex shirt, caressing her smooth lilac smelling skin, touching everything but her perfectly formed chest. Her breathing picked up and the shirt came off. He slowly worked his hands all over her shoulders, her arms, her hands, knowing that just being touched was heaven to her. He only wished that just once, he could feel what she felt. He hadn't fully decided yet if he was going to be as wicked as he'd planned, but for the moment, he was fighting the urge to just ravage her. He kept his hands in neutral territory for a moment more, not even moving to undo her bra yet. He slid one finger underneath the waistband of her pants and heard her gasp. The wicked smile returned.  
  
Slowly he undid the button and zipper, then gently slid her beautiful green pants off, revealing matching panties. He quivered. With hands and tongue, he moved over her whole body now, staring from her knees and moving as slow as he could force himself to go. She shook now, her eyes pleading for him to go further. But he'd finally regained enough control over himself to hold back.  
  
Sliding a hand under her back, Gambit deftly undid the small metal clasp in the middle of her back. The fierce look on Rogue's face made him pause a moment before continuing. He moved so that his lips were a fraction of an inch from her nipple. He knew she could feel him breathing, then with a delicate tongue, he traced its outline.  
  
And that was where all his plans of revenge went to ruin. Rogue grabbed him, flipped him onto his back as if she still had her super strength. She muttered the name 'Swamprat' before smiling and literally ripping his red silk boxers from his body. Gambit realized that some time in the past few seconds, she'd manage to both manhandle him and remove her own underwear. She never ceased to amaze him. She straddled him roughly, and for a moment, after seeing the look in her eyes, Gambit was scared for his life.  
  
She started to move and all Gambit could do was hold onto those perfect hips and think about anything, anywhere but where he was. Minutes passed as they fell into a rhythm, rocking their large bed. He could hear Rogue's breathing hasten. She pressed herself flat against him and bit into his shoulder as she came, stifling a scream and clenching down around Gambit, bringing him right to the edge. With his last moments of partial sanity, he reached up her back and hit the collar's release. The last things he could remember was to hear Rogue gasp sharply, the lamp explode, and the words "Flea-bitten Cajun!"

* * *

Emma returned to her quarters and collapsed onto the floor. She'd gotten so little sleep lately as she'd been trying to sort out the tangled mess of Raien's broken mind. At first, Emma had looked at this as her penance for the things she did to so many other mutants. But now, after experiencing Raien's mind, she knew that he was a genuinely good person, that he wouldn't hurt a fly unless he had to. That all he really wanted was to be left alone, with Chimera. 'Such simple goals.' She thought ruefully. It had been so long since she'd taken anyone or anything at face value. Raien had no hidden agenda, he had no animosity beneath the surface. He did what he felt, and Emma could respect that. It was something she was just starting to relearn before all of this happed. Her thoughts halted for a moment as she expected pain and loss to come crashing in as it always did when she thought about her daughter. She waited, but it never came. The constant loss was always with her, as was the ever present pain of her daughter's murder, but today she wasn't overwhelmed by it.  
  
Perhaps she was healing, or perhaps doing something to help another was, in the process, helping her. She thought about moving, but quickly felt Raien's mind already asleep and decided to stay where she was. She'd wasted valuable time. Entering his mind, she moved, meticulously repairing each strand of his consciousness as best she could. There was some things that she would never be able to fix, but what had started as an unintelligible mass of chaos, was now coming closer to order, to what it must have looked like beforehand. She hoped she was nearing the end because she really couldn't take much more of this. She tried to maintain her normal appearance during the day, while working virtually all night, sleeping when she could. She was gaining from this in other ways however. She thought she'd figured out how the damage was caused, and more importantly how to replicate it using her own powers. That brought a small smile to her face. Every trick she had up her sleeve was just one more she could use if the time came. 


	19. Glimpse of a perfect world

Chimera had gone home for the night, and Hank now just huddled in the corner, an odd look for such a large person. They'd debated for hours on ways to help Bobby. There was an idea of placing him in a hot bath, and Hank had to admire the simplicity of the idea, but he doubted it would work. And at the very least it wouldn't be permanent. He fondly thought of that morning, how he'd woken Bobby, and a small smile spread on quivering lips. He wanted nothing more in the world right now than to just curl up with Bobby and listen to him breathe. It amazed him that of all the things in the world that he could possibly want, something so simple was so unattainable. He was a world renowned scientist, and yet here, he was powerless.

He could recognize the problem, and that was the first step to solving it. But taking the next step would require that he can alter the problem. And at the moment, he had no idea how. He could run no tests, because his samples were nothing but ice. He didn't fully understand the mechanism for Bobby's change, and therein lay another problem. His head pounded as if he'd exhausted every ounce of thought from his prodigious mind.

Hank was finding it very difficult to keep himself impartial and objective. He'd always been able to distance himself from any situation and look at it as if he was another person. He felt like howling. He felt like smashing the room. He felt like sobbing. Instead, simply giving in to the emotions that had been circling him all day, finally letting them out as he shook. Hank decided that there truly was no god. How could such a being throw so much misery into their lives and expect to be worshiped? How could a being with the power to do anything he chose just sit idly by and watch his creations suffer? Hank would make it a point, if he ever met such a being to discuss the moral implications of being a race's caretaker. And some part of him vowed also to blacken that being's eyes.

After a few moments, Hank got up from the sterile floor and shook himself off. He was obviously not going anywhere with this tonight, and he was tired. Shoulders hunched, he walked down the hallways feeling as though he'd just lost an epic battle. He dragged himself around the corners and finally arrived in front of his room. He could hear the television on, and knew Bobby would be inside. He suddenly had a bad feeling. Bobby may be expecting him to have made progress or solved the problem entirely. He thought for a moment that he could just say he was on to something as he had before, but he didn't think Bobby had bought it then, and surely wouldn't now. He thought next of sleeping in the cot he had in his lab. But then Bobby would wonder where he was and... The door opened. Hank panicked.

Much as Bobby's refractive body was truly a work of art (an especially delectable piece of art), seeing him still in the Iceman form was just another reminder of his lack of progress. He opened his mouth to say something, but couldn't get anything out. He was very rarely tongue tied, and it was the first time to feel it with his lover. Bobby saw the look in his eyes and stepped forward, hugging him softly. Hank shivered at the cold and Bobby started to pull away. Hank's arms quickly locked around him and pulled him close, hugging him so tightly that he worried for a moment about hurting him.

"Its okay, Hank." Bobby whispered into his ear. Hank moved into the room and sat down heavily on the bed. His chest began to tingle, then go numb. He hugged tighter. He longed for the warmth of his lover's body and to be able to just hold him through the night. He had to find a way. Bobby pulled back, knowing that Hank wouldn't let him go, even if he got frostbite or worse. It was a comforting feeling, but as they sat next to each other, both felt helpless and frustrated.

* * *

Chimera dozed quietly next to Raien, halfway watching the rise and fall of his magnificent chest, caught somewhere between being awake and asleep, and not minding at all. Raien shook mildly and Chimera woke fully. His lover's head moved back and forth, his back arching, having some terrible nightmare. Chimera tried to wake him, softly saying his name and gently shaking him. Raien hadn't slept well the past few days, tossing and turning, having nightmares, and didn't seem to be really getting any rest. Chimera shook him less gently, expecting him to wake, but he didn't. He shook harder, but Raien's eyes stayed shut and his back arched at a painful angle. His mouth open now, screaming silently, his breathing coming quick and shallow. Chimera scooped him up in his arms and sprinted down the hallway to the all too familiar infirmary. Raien was still asleep. Something was very wrong here. It wasn't natural.

He turned the last corner and burst through the doors only to find an empty room. Panicking he lay Raien on a table and slammed a hand to the communicator.

"HANK! Its Chimera, I need your help! I can't wake Raien and... Something's not right!" he yelled, beginning to shake.

"I will be right there." Said a calm, if ragged sounding voice. Some relief hit him, and he opened the door to see Hank running down the hallway, and Jean walking down another. Confusion lit her face and she started running too.

* * *

Jean ran down the hallways, her scarlet hair trailing behind her, the glow of flames in her eyes. Running became too slow and her feet lifted from the ground, the air around her glowing soft yellow. Her face twisted in a snarl as the doorways blurred to either side. After today, Emma Frost would be known as the Red Queen. Jean was going to rip her limb from limb. She liked Raien. She liked Chimera. And she didn't know which was worse. Watching Raien shudder with whatever Emma was doing to him or watching the panicked terror on Chimera's face. It had taken her a mere instant to sense Emma's presence in his mind.

She reached the door and it shattered inward sending splinters flying into the room. Rage overcame her and the air all around her caught fire, awakening a force Jean tried so hard to control. For once, their goals were one and the same. Emma sat on her bed, holding her head in her hands, lips pressed together, eyes jammed shut. She hadn't even reacted to Jean entering. She extended a hand toward her victim and lifted her into the air, making her eyes open, the sudden look of stark horror on her face.

Jean was surrounded by crimson hellfire and snarling like a demon from the pit. Power surged through her body telling her this was what she'd wanted all her life. What she'd wanted since before she was born. _Burn. Yes. Buuurrn. _She felt stronger than she had in years, stronger even than when the Phoenix force had possessed her the first time. She pulled her right hand back, flame swirling and concentrating in her palm. Her pulse and breathing hastened. The feelings rampaging through her body were stronger, more real that life itself. She took in all the power, hatred, and malice she'd ever had any time in her life, curling it into a single flame, burning menacingly. One last breath and her shoulder drew back. Emma screamed, surprising Jean. Her cry made her feel superior. Like a god. Power over life and death. Every fiber of her being told her to exercise the latter. Told her to burn. Everything.

JEAN! YOU MUST STOP! came the voice of the Professor into her mind. She nearly went ahead and killed Emma. SHE'S TRYING TO HELP HIM! Confusion. The flames in her fist died, and the smile left her face. She felt herself calming, and something about it left a distinct mark, one only Xavier's mind carried. Part of her tried to fight it, like a drowning child, but the part of her that was Jean Grey-Summers knew it was needed. As control over her body returned to her, Jean looked around the room at the havoc she'd caused. The doors had been completely shattered, leaving large splinters in nearly every wall, some having narrowly missed the woman now slumped on the floor like a cowering animal. Everything in the doorway carried a thick layer of ash and smoldering embers. She realized slowly what had happened. And worse, what had almost happened. She shivered despite the heat of the room.

The professor wheeled through the doorway. "I'm sorry Jean, I should have told you." he said, looking... Scared?

"Told me what?" Jean asked, dusting the soot from her arms.

"That I was _trying_ to help Raien. I was almost done, and after that display, I have to wait for him to fall asleep again." Emma said, groaning. She was rapidly regaining her frigid façade, something Jean despised. "I was almost done!" She glowered at Jean through tired ice cold eyes, but Jean wasn't looking. She'd taken another look at the damage she'd caused. She'd lost control. Another moment and the Phoenix force would have swallowed her again. Even now, she could feel it clawing around inside her mind angry at being so close to freedom then denied. She simply walked out of the room in search of a dark corner to hide in while she regained her composure.

* * *

Raien was awake now, and Chimera was breathing easier. Hank looked like he wanted to kick his patient out of the bed and use it himself. They'd heard Jean mutter the name Frost before she'd stormed out of the room looking like she was going to kill someone. Hank had put the pieces together easily, even in his current state of sleep deprivation. The door opened to admit Xavier and Emma. Hank was confused. Emma was supposed to be at the root of this. He looked over to see Raien glaring bitterly at her. If looks could kill, Emma Frost would have been beyond even the Shi'ar's power to save.

"Raien, Emma has been trying to help you. It appears she has an ability I do not possess." Charles explained. "She has been trying to heal you."

Raien hardly moved. His glare now encompassed Xavier. "I didn't ask for any help. I didn't want any help!" he said coldly, crossing his arms across his chest. Emma rolled her eyes. She stared suddenly, very intently at him. He felt something was wrong. Then pain erupted in his forehead as he felt something punch its way through his skull. He gasped and his back arched. Every muscle in his body shook.

Chimera's eyes went wide. "You're hurting him!" He cried. Seeing no reaction he took a step forward. "If you do not stop _now,_ you will regret it." He said balling one fist so tight his knuckles popped. Another step forward. Emma didn't move.

"Chimera, please give her-" Charles began before being interrupted. Chimera's fist swung back. Suddenly the room shook violently, and a general feel of wrongness hung in the air, as if suddenly the world was turning on its head. Chimera's head snapped back to Raien. His brown eyes suddenly exploded with light, pure as the winter snow, piercing the dimness of the lab. He cried out in one last moment of pain, and then it was over.

"There." Emma said, sounding pleased with herself. Chimera's fist loosened. He didn't know what to think, or what to do except go to the bedside.

Raien caught his breath and turned to Emma. His face was ashen and totally unreadable. He looked at her for a moment, then turned to Hank. "I think I need to go back to my quarters." He said sounding totally withdrawn. No emotion whatsoever in his voice. Hank raised an eyebrow but slowly nodded. He walked swiftly out the door, Chimera following. He heard him thank Beast. Then the door shut. He stopped in the hallway. He heard a stifled female scream, then a loud thud on the wall of the infirmary. Raien smiled in spite of himself. He really did love that man. Raien had been about to kill Emma, and the worst part about it was that he was sure she knew. His head throbbed, but was clearing rapidly. Already he was feeling better than he had in a week. He just wanted to go home. And be with Chimera. He turned thoughtful for a moment, and the door opened, his lover walking slowly toward him, his face a tangled mass of emotion.

Eventually they got back to their quarters. Raien sat on the edge of the bed, and Chimera joined him. They sat silently. So many different emotions were running through his head. He had his powers back. For the last week, he'd felt like he was reaching for something that was no longer there when he tried to call upon his gift. Now he could feel it there, like some kind of weapon always at his side to defend himself with. He'd actually given up on ever getting it back, and as much as he hated the fact that his eyes would forever mark him a mutant, they were a part of him. Being different from the norm was something that was actually comforting in a way. Raien would never be lost within a crowd or ignored. At least, that would have mattered a year ago. During the time when he could walk the streets as a normal human, he'd learned something.  
The things that had always mattered to him, the things he'd wished for since that day in high school were more empty now, like he'd put those wishes on the back burner. Now he just wished that he could be left alone with the person he loved. Since they'd met it had been just one thing after another. In a way, though, Raien had to thank the Friends of Humanity. Had they not captured both him and Chimera, they would never have been together. Raien didn't know how he could have gone on, how he could have made it this far without him. He crawled into his lover's lap silently, locking arms around his large head, fingers entangling in the course mane of hair which fell past Chimera's shoulders.  
Gently, their lips touched, with just the faintest brush of Chimera's tongue to his. It still took Raien's breath away. He sighed. When they kissed, when they made love, it was like their souls touched. Like they were one and the same and nothing mattered because together, they were safe.  
Lazily, Chimera leaned back, laying with Raien on top of him.

"I wish I could take you away, Raien. To somewhere we wouldn't have to worry like this. Where people wouldn't want to hurt us all the time." Chimera whispered. For a long time, Raien lay pondering that thought. He didn't think such a place existed. A place where they could fit in, where people wouldn't look at them weird or refuse to sell them a jug of milk, or throw them out on the streets. He wondered what such a place would look like. Another planet perhaps? A place full of lush green gardens, with exotic birds, and deep blue oceans. Raien could picture it all, how perfect it would be. He could come home from doing whatever he did, to Chimera, and they could just be together with hardly a worry or care in the world. The image in his mind was so vivid, so clear, and so beautiful; he was actually on the verge of tears. He had to get up to cover it.

He walked to the window, which was actually a projection as they were underground, but it was as if he was looking outside from the ground level. The sun rose leisurely, the sky turned a thousand shades of blue and crimson and everything in between. Raien blinked. That sun rose over gardens much like what he'd pictured just a moment before. He blinked again. No one had looked at them like they were freaks since they'd been here. Not for being mutants at least. He had friends here, something he'd missed since he'd been with the Morlocks. He missed Calisto and the others. She had always been willing to listen to him, and although her exterior was that of a stoic warrior and leader, she had a soft voice and knowing eyes. He would love to be able to talk to her now. To show her this place, and how wrong they'd been to think they wouldn't have been taken in.

Strong arms wrapped around him, Chimera's scent enveloped him as his lover's head rest softly on his shoulder from behind. Raien leaned his own head back softly into the soft muscle on Chimera's chest.

"Maybe we're already here, Chimera." Raien said softly. Chimera's arms tightened around him.

* * *

Rogue and Gambit lay on the couch under a large blanket, Hank and Bobby on the other, Bobby wrapped in the blanket and Hank holding him through that. It reminded Rogue of how she and Remy had gotten around her mutation. A new gymnast interrupted her train of thought. A Russian woman named Slavetskaya. It would seem strange to anyone else but the four in the room that they'd be watching this. Most of the people in the room could perform on par or exceed the skill of any of these people. Hank especially. She'd seen him jump nearly eight feet in the air from his hands. No gymnast she'd ever seen could even come close to that even on their feet. Though she had to admit, the routine was impressive.

The woman sprang easily from hands to feet back to hands and into the air, more graceful than the woman's large frame looked to be capable of. Large being compared to the other women who looked like they'd not eaten in a week. She wondered seriously if any of them had. This Slavetskaya's movements were entrancing. Beautiful and airy to totally contrast the harsh music she moved to. It carried with it the thick and heavy tones of traditional Russian music, but also seemed somber and reflective at the same time. Every flip, every tumble, every landing was flawless. Rogue was captivated. The woman landed on one foot while the song was playing its final notes. On the last, her arms flew back, chest extended in a powerful and triumphant stance.

Brilliant ribbons of color sprang to life around her suddenly, exploding outward as if to punctuate the last note. She lost all composure, stepping backward off the mat, obviously confused. She was staring at her hands and the audience had fallen deathly silent. A moment more and realization crossed her face of what had happened and in front of how many people it had happened. The cameras zoomed in as commentators were at a loss to explain what had just happened.

* * *

The whispers of the audience were a deafening roar, Alexa Slavetskaya had no idea what had happened. She'd been tested for the X-Gene and been found negative, just like everyone in the Olympics. They'd had such a problem over the past years that the testing, while not being mandatory was a huge black mark if you did not get it done. She'd seen them do the testing herself. She'd had mutant friends before they'd been taken away, and talked to them in detail about what it was like to have powers like theirs. They'd all said they felt something when they used their powers. Those that had them anyway. She'd felt nothing.

Suddenly she realized she'd backed into something. She heard the hissing of air hoses and the whirring of mechanical motors. Slowly turning, she jumped back, falling in the process. Black leather. Face totally covered, the only openings, goggles for a man's eyes and several wires and hoses. The man was terrifying.

"I'm not a mutant!" She cried when she saw the FoH arm band. He took a step forward. Tears streamed down her face blurred the glittering makeup she'd put on that morning. She clawed backwards away from the man. He took another step forward. And another. The ominous sound of his footfalls made her realize the crowds had stopped whispering.

"I'M NOT A MUTANT!!" she screamed at him. "I've been tested!" The man said nothing. He stopped directly in front of her. He raised a hand and opened a gloved fist and she suddenly found herself on her feet in front of him. Her heart felt as though it was going to burst through her chest. Her whole body tingled unnaturally. Her breathing hastened and she looked to one side. Looked to the audience, eyes pleading for something. Anything. Just before she heard the cheering, she saw the eyes of a small boy. She saw the hatred inside those eyes. Alexa screamed.


	20. A Second Chance

For two days, Hank had been working feverishly on solving Bobby's ice problem. They'd tried several things, first focusing on several different fronts. Nothing seemed to work. Hank had even given up and tried Chimera's idea of using heat to attempt to melt Bobby. He'd only looked uncomfortable for a moment. Then the tub had frozen over. Bobby had simply stepped out of it as if it had not been solid ice. That alone still perplexed Hank. Contemplating the physics of how that worked was... Painful.

He sat pouring over his notes, hoping to see something he'd overlooked. Now looking at the whole picture, it seemed to tell him how futile his efforts were. Placing a hand to either side of the accursed paper, he laid his head down roughly. It had not been that long, three or four days, but Hank was going insane. He craved Bobby. At first, he'd been able to just release his physical need alone, but it didn't help at all now. He'd always thought that when someone said they were aching for another person it was a metaphorical ache. He knew now that it wasn't.

Hank was about to break down, only the third time today, when he heard the door behind him slide open. He cursed himself for not locking it. He'd been smarter than that before. He didn't want anyone to see him like this and he was in no mood to help anyone. Though he knew he would simply give in as he always did. Such was the curse of a friendly disposition. Unmoving he smelled the air. Lilac. He could hear the sounds of soft footfalls, those of soft leather. Rogue. Had it been anyone else he would have turned and roared, sending whomever chose to bother him running. But Rogue, and maybe Gambit were the only ones who really knew what he was going through. He'd tried talking to Gambit, who'd given him a few ideas, but could only tell him he would find a way. Hank was beginning to doubt that he'd ever solve the puzzle.

"Ya alright, hun?" She asked behind him in a heartfelt tone that came so naturally to her, made even more pleasing to the ear by her bright southern accent.

"Truthfully? No." Hank said, still unmoving. He felt as though he wanted to leap out of his fur. Bobby didn't even smell like he used to anymore. He smelled like ice. Hank's mind traveled back to memories of their first kiss, their first... He shook his head, commanding himself to concentrate on the moment.

"Ah shouldn't be here..." Rogue said, taking a nervous step toward the door. Hank could see that she was holding something behind her back, probably something that needed fixing. It was obvious she'd just come to the conclusion that whatever it was could wait until Hank solved his own problem. Though, Hank wondered, what would be important enough for her to come in here to ask him about, knowing he was trying to save his lover?

"Please. What can I help you with?" He asked her. He could tell that she wanted to say what was on her mind, but held back.

"Ah can wait, Hank, you find a cure for Bobby." She said still concealing whatever she carried. Hank gave her a quelling look. He really wasn't making any progress. A short diversion was needed. He just held his hand out. Slowly she revealed what she'd been hiding. Hank blinked. What on earth was Rogue of all people doing with an inhibitor collar? The red metal at one time had scared her so much that she'd completely broken down when they'd been held on Genoshia. Realization struck him suddenly. Of course. It suppressed mutant powers. Making her and Gambit able to be intimate with- Hank blinked again. Suppressed mutant powers!

The collars worked using an electromagnetic wave that counteracted one tied to the use of mutant power. Formulae and hypotheses roiled through Hank's mind. This idea had a chance. He looked up at Rogue. He could have kissed her. For the first time in nearly four days, he had hope in his heart.

"Rogue... You don't know what you've just given me!" Hank exclaimed. He saw confusion on her face, but he was soon lost in wave form mechanics, his guest having been completely forgotten.

* * *

Scott smashed a fist into the table of the war room. Professor Xavier, Jean, and Storm were all here.

"Why are we doing nothing professor?" Scott yelled. "We have been sitting here doing nothing for days. We must do something!"

Xavier sighed. "Scott. This is not a battle we can win. We cannot simply go out and fight public opinion as if it were a member of the Brotherhood. The Friends of Humanity have infiltrated nearly every aspect of people's lives now. Something must happen to show the world that we aren't a threat. At least any more of a threat than they themselves are to each other."

Scott still looked very angry. The kind of anger that still remains when you know you're wrong. As if by will alone you could argue your way past the truth. The Professor's words made sense. There wasn't anything they alone could do. He sat down heavily in one of the chairs.

"Well, what can we do, Professor? They're still abducting mutants all over the planet. I hate feeling helpless." Scott said, in a much more humbled tone.

"At the moment Scott, we can stay alive. We must concentrate on simply making it another day. I will do what I can. We must hope that it will be enough." Xavier said stoically.

Storm didn't like just sitting around either, but like Xavier, she realized that they couldn't simply go out and wage battle on a whole world. She'd thought that maybe they could leave. Maybe they could find another world they could just be. Perhaps some other culture would take them in and give them a head start. She shook her head. Thinking of such things served no real purpose other than to occupy time she didn't have. Storm sighed. Perhaps now she did have the time. The Professor had simply told them to expect another meeting sometime in the near future and left.

"I will focus my efforts on making the mansion more self sufficient. We still have several greenhouses. I will begin planting incase we are forced to move underground. The generators will give us power, but we will still require food. Contact me if you need anything, Cyclops." She said in her usual detached but still warm voice.

* * *

Hank finished. In his two hands, he held the key to making Bobby normal again. He couldn't believe he had not thought about this sooner. It was not guaranteed to work, but it was a chance. He'd repaired Rogue's collar in the process of duplicating it, surprising himself with his willpower to not simply fix and use her collar. He turned swiftly for the door. Just as it opened he remembered to grab something else. A small black pouch he now kept clipped to the band of his shorts. He bounded through the hallways, arriving in only seconds at his quarters. The door flew open and Hank burst into the room breathing heavy and looking for all the world like a starving tiger stalking prey. Bobby was gone. Hank growled and looked at the ceiling as if to ask 'Why?'. He ran back into the mass of hallways that would be a maze to anyone but a resident.

* * *

Bobby sat on the floor of the hangar. It seemed to be the one place he could actually be alone these days. The weight rooms were now always occupied as if his team mates were building up bulk for the winter. He shivered at the expression. He was beginning to hate snow. Anything cold in fact. He was surrounded by ice sculptures, once a way of passing the time. Before, he'd had to concentrate to give them form, and it had really felt like he was creating something. Now the images simply sprang into existence in moments. The fun of it was gone. Bobby longed to just be able to go home and burrow himself in Hank's thick fur. To feel the warmth of his body.

He found himself on the verge of tears, but fought them back. He'd already broken down several times today. He would have to resign himself to the fact that this was how he was going to be for the rest of his life and go from there. His thoughts began to darken as self loathing replaced sadness. If it wouldn't break Hank's heart, he would simply end it. He felt almost bitter at that. He didn't feel like he could go on like this, but at the same time, he now felt it would be selfish to try killing himself again. He looked upward and wondered why all of this was happening to him.

He looked around him at the dozens of melting forms scattered throughout the empty part of the hangar. Most of them were Hank. Bobby really wasn't thinking of much else these days. He kept telling himself that he should be worried over what had happened at the Olympic Games, but try as he might, he couldn't bring himself to really care. He'd lost everything when he'd lost the ability to turn back to a normal human. He knew it was selfish, but that was part of him. He had never been the most caring person, or the most empathetic. He so admired those qualities in Hank. He resigned himself to just wallowing in self pity for a few more hours before he would pull himself back together and return to his quarters.

* * *

Hank had looked nearly everywhere. Their room, the Danger Room, the Gym, the conference rooms... He was getting frustrated quickly. He'd even stopped Jean and asked her where he was but she'd been unable to locate him. It seemed that his mind no longer even registered to any of the telepaths in the group. Hank bounded past an environmental console. He skidded to a halt as an idea came to mind. He looked over all the rooms' temperatures. Most were fairly standard room temperature, but one was several degrees too low. The hangar. Hank was off almost before he finished reading the display. He blew past a few of his team mates, who gave him strange looks, but who didn't try to stop him.

He arrived at the elevator stepping in and dancing in agony as the doors slowly shut. He looked down and gasped. He'd just been running through the hallways with a huge erection. Normally he would have died of embarrassment right then and there. Today he was only frustrated that he'd have to wait even longer than the accursed contraption he rode in to reach the hangar's floor before getting out. He tried to concentrate on anything other than Bobby. Physics seemed to work most times. He tried to think of the calming formulae which had been his only bedfellow for so many years. It was working. Slowly. He placed a meaty hand on the wall. The doors slid open, the elevator having reached its destination. Standing in the doorway, shimmering tones of blue and white, was Bobby.

"Hey Hank." Bobby said softly, staring at the floor. He caught a glint of metal in Hank's hand. "What's that?" he asked, sounding only a minuscule bit hopeful.

"This," Hank said, "Is a modified Genoshian Collar. I only thought of it a few hours ago. Please, can we try it?" He asked, eyes pleading for Bobby to say yes.

Slowly, Bobby nodded, the object still causing him some fear. The last time one of these had been used on him, though it had looked different, he'd felt incredibly helpless. He'd felt naked and... Beaten.

Hank gently placed the collar around Bobby's neck, holding a breath. Bobby's eyes closed. The lights and hum of the device activated. Nothing happened. Bobby stood perfectly still. Hank's heart sank. He'd been so sure... This had been the last thing, the only thing that could have worked. He gently stroked Bobby's still frozen cheek feeling defeated.

"I'm so sorry Bobby." He said. He was going to lose it again. He could already feel the torrent of tears amassing behind his eyes. A small flake of ice fell from where Hank touched Bobby. He withdrew his hand sharply. Another flake, this one larger, fell. He heard a crackling sound. The ice began to chip away from Bobby, revealing underneath it... Skin. Hank's whole body shook.

Bobby looked shocked, staring at normal hands once more, tears in his eyes. Hank pulled him close and kissed him roughly. He took in his lover's scent, once again the one he remembered. Bobby's skin felt... Electric. Like a forbidden fruit. He had to get them back to their quarters. Now. He could sense that Bobby desperately wanted the same thing. Bobby kissed him ferociously and within seconds, found a nipple and sucked hard. Hank groaned and hurriedly pressed the button for his floor. Fingers intertwined in his's fur. Bobby was breathing heavy and attempting to work his way downward.

"Bobby... Not here..." Hank whimpered. He came to the realization that protesting would do no good as neither Bobby nor he himself would listen. Grinning, he pressed the stop button. The elevator halted. He pulled Bobby up and kissed him hungrily. It felt like... Hank stopped for a moment, mildly disturbed at the feeling. It felt like escaping from a cage. He smiled happily though and again went in for the kill.

Their tongues circled each others and Hank was lost. He reached a hand down, awkwardly pulling his shorts off, having to break their kiss to finish the task. Bobby grinned and placed a hand to the side of his own. He pulled a section of fabric back to reveal a zipper on his hip. With a flick of the wrist, they were off. Hank marveled at the wondrous idea. He would have to get a pair. Or six.

They crashed heavily to the elevator floor making it lurch downward. Hank looked worried for a moment but was quickly distracted. Something caught Bobby's eye. It was the black pouch Hank had clipped to his waistband. Bobby opened it to find a pair of condoms and a small bottle of lube. Hank suddenly felt a little guilty, like when Jean or Cyclops would catch him sneaking snacks in the middle of the night. He turned serious, though, when Bobby looked intently at him.

"Will you... Uh...?" Bobby stuttered. Something about how naïve the question sounded made Hank suddenly feel protective.

"Are you sure, Robert?" Hank asked softly, using Bobby's full name to emphasize how serious the question was. He might not be able to stop himself later. His whole body ached for him, but they'd held off this far for fear of hurting Bobby. Hank had done extensive research on the subject and was reasonably sure he knew the ideal way to go about it so as not to injure Bobby.

Hank reached for the condom, but Bobby pulled his hand away, grinning mischievously. He felt a soft hand give him a firm tug. It was like being shocked. His whole body tingled. Hank closed his eyes. He heard the package rip and felt Bobby deftly apply the condom. He felt a hand slide all over his member. He tried to concentrate. Tried to keep his mind engaged so that he could do this right. Bobby was on top. This was good. He could stop if he needed.

Hands on his chest. Then pressure against him. Hank opened his eyes. He heard Bobby grunt, and suddenly was enveloped with warmth, making Hank gasp. Hank had never before felt anything so wonderful in his entire life. He lay there for a moment letting Bobby have time to get used to him, but mainly just enjoying the feelings flooding his body. Every shift, every quiver, every breath, shot pleasure through him. His eyes rolled back. Bobby moved forward, taking Hank's breath with him. He moved backward and Hank had to stifle a moan. He was completely overwhelmed.

As Bobby began to move more, the sounds of pain and discomfort grew less in his breathing. Hank let go of his conscious mind, letting more primal needs take over. He sat up, holding Bobby close and kissed him passionately. Gently he rolled them over.

* * *

Bobby was surprised how much it hurt. At first, his whole body protested. His whole body locked up and he had to bite his tongue to keep from howling. He huddled there for a moment, thinking it wasn't such a good idea. He looked at Hank. The man was in a whole other place. Bobby smiled despite the pain. Hank moved slightly and hit something inside Bobby. It was like coming, but only the briefest taste of it. Bobby moved forward, feeling a sudden emptiness. He drove himself back and gasped as Hank hit that spot again. Lips suddenly on his, took his breath away as he was pulled into a tight embrace.

Bobby could feel Hank's pulse thundering through his body, each beat of his heart, every twitch making Bobby shudder. It still hurt but it hardly mattered. He felt a great movement under him and suddenly felt his back press to the elevator wall. Hank kissed him again and Bobby melted. Powerful hands gripped his hips and squeezed tightly. The sounds coming from Hank were low and... animal. Bobby had seen more and more of this side of Hank over the past few weeks. And he couldn't say he didn't like it. Hank drew back, dragging most of Bobby's insides with him. He came slamming back in and Bobby choked off a yell trying to be quiet. He'd die if anyone caught them. It was too much. Hank drove into him again, slamming him into the wall. This time Bobby couldn't keep it in and groaned loudly. Hank moved faster, in and out, his breath blasting into the side of Bobby's face like some kind of steam engine. Each time Bobby thought he was coming. It still hurt, but this was worth every bit of it.

* * *

Hank plowed into Bobby, all control lost. He moved faster and faster, amazed at and swallowed by the wondrous feeling. He fucked Bobby like a piston, hearing the sounds of pleasure roll out of both of their mouths. He could feel Bobby's breathing, his heartbeat, the low sounds he was making. Hank soon felt Bobby pushing back on him, matching him thrust for thrust. They crashed into the opposing wall, neither bothering to hide the sounds of their lovemaking anymore. Hank knew he couldn't hold back for long, but increased the pace anyway. Bobby's breathing halted for a second, then he bucked forward and cried out as he came. Hank came just after in a spasm of wild thrusts. He felt the stress of the past week flow out of him as he let himself fall backwards, making the elevator groan as he landed, Bobby still impaled by him.

After a few long moments of post-orgasmic silence, Hank pulled Bobby up to kiss him. He noticed first the shaking of Bobby's small frame. Then the tears rolling down his face. Hank's chest locked up.

"My god, Bobby, did I injure you?" Hank asked, fearing the worst. He knew that injuries in that particular area of the body were very difficult to heal and there was little that could be done to treat it. Bobby was silent for a moment, hugging Hank snugly.

"No, Hank. I... I just didn't expect to be able to touch you, much less..." Bobby said slowly, breaking down again in a series of wet sobs. Tears of joy. Thank god. Hank had been totally reckless. Something he would never have done consciously. He had to admit, he'd nearly given up on ever being able to feel Bobby's soft skin again, it was profoundly wonderful to even be able to lay here like this.

Elevator. They were in the elevator. Hank blinked as what they'd just done came into focus. He looked around him at the pieces of discarded clothing. He smelled the air and the smell of their sex hung thickly. Far beyond what would go undetected to anyone but Hank and Wolverine. He carefully pulled himself from Bobby, more carefully when he heard him whimper. He started to get up, but Bobby stopped him.

"Thank you." Bobby said simply. The two words conveyed more than simple gratitude. For Bobby, that would have been 'thanks'. The look in his eyes told Hank it was much, much more. Bobby looked like a man who'd been given his life back. And on some level he had. Hank would have to thank Rogue. Repeatedly. If he could walk the streets, he thought, he would also have to buy her something. He smiled at Bobby.

"You mean everything to me, Bobby. Aside from my own delight in taking advantage of you," Hank began with a toothy grin, "Seeing you like that was... painful. Hmm... Bobby?"

"Yeah?" Bobby asked, ears perking up.

"We seem to be in a bit of a predicament. While I must say the smell of our recent activities is not entirely unpleasant... We are in the elevator. Perhaps your powers could be of use?" Hank asked, feeling somewhat embarrassed. He couldn't quite rationalize why he couldn't have waited the extra minute it would have taken to be back in their quarters, but then again, many of the things he'd done and felt since 're-discovering' Bobby had made absolutely no sense to anyone with half a brain.

Bobby looked hesitant for a moment but unclasped the collar. His body quickly iced over, bringing a somewhat sad look to his crystalline face. Hank pulled on his shorts as Bobby froze the air around them. It was as if it was snowing in the confined area. Hank sniffed the air. The smell was definitely not gone, but it was much lighter now. Probably something only Wolverine would know. Hank smiled. Or the three telepaths in the mansion at the moment. He wondered briefly what that would be like. How could one sleep with the thoughts of others constantly whispering around you? Especially when those whispers were two people defiling the elevator in the throws of passion. It brought a chuckle to Hank, but only a brief one. The elevator resumed as Bobby zipped his shorts back on. The remaining lube and remaining garbage, Bobby froze within a small dark chunk of ice. Hank placed it in the black pouch.

The door opened and Hank was obscenely grateful for the hallway being empty. The two of them crept to the corner like a pair of thieves, both feeling silly for sneaking this way. They heard footsteps coming and froze, Bobby, literally. Gambit rounded the corner.

"Afternoon, Mon Ami." He said cheerfully. He stopped and regarded Hank with a particularly knowing grin. "Gambit glad to see you two work out dat problem." Hank was confused. How...

"How did you know?" Bobby asked. Gambit had already started to walk away. He turned without stopping.

"Gambit don't mind, but he think a shower be a good idea." He answered, chuckling. Hank looked down and gasped. The fur on his belly was plastered down, thanks to Bobby. He decided it may just be better to run it. He clasped the collar back around Bobby's neck, picked him up like a sack of potatoes and ran down the hall, finally reaching their room without encountering any of the other team mates.

* * *

It was Jubilee's first day back in the danger room. Well, more precisely her first night. She didn't want anyone there to see her. She didn't want to see the concerned half smiles, she didn't want to see the mild looks of approval and uncomfortable silences. What she wanted, though, more than anything was simply to forget it had ever happened. She knew that would never happen though. Revenge would have been good too, but Wolverine had already exacted it on several of the men who'd done this to her. She found herself despising him in a way for robbing her of her vengeance. Irrational as it was, she felt it anyway. What really irritated her was that if she was in a position where she could have gotten it herself, Jubilee didn't know how exactly she would have reacted. She didn't know whether or not she'd panic or stand her ground and that uncertainty cut her.

She ran her hands across the small control panel choosing a randomized program of only holographs. This way the computer could throw anyone in the database at her, but she knew she had some degree of safety. The last thing she needed was to end up in the infirmary over her first training session.

The lights dimmed and the program started. She saw movement come out of the shadows, a small disc spinning toward her. Her eyes narrowed and her ears perked up as old training returned in an instant. Her knuckles burned with crackling energy, a comforting feeling. Her hands thrust forward and power released sending a thousand screaming colors into the air obliterating the disc. Pleased with herself, she braced herself for the next wave. Two. No, six. With a sweeping movement of her hands, she destroyed four of the targets, dodging the remaining two. Turning, she finished them off.

"_Warm-Up Complete._" said the computer.

Now came the real targets. The lights dimmed further, something Jubilee idly wondered about for a moment before Toad came springing out of the darkness at her. A front handspring turned into an inhumanly high flip and a tongue lashed out at her. Jubilee's fireworks crashed into his chest sending him flying, the image disappearing as he hit the wall. She smiled, pleased again to be back using her powers. She waited for the next opponent. A few moments passed before she heard it. The soft, barely audible whine of servos. The sound of air hissing out of a sealed mask. Jubilee's chest constricted. She'd heard this sound before. The sound became louder, and two circular goggles gleamed at her from the darkness. '_HIM.' _She thought. Panic and terror circled around her. Jubilee screamed, her hands jutting forward even though she somehow knew there was nothing she could do to stop him.

* * *

Raien set the bar back into its rack on the bench and sat up, idly feeling his muscles as they throbbed. He'd seen Jubilee go into the danger room a minute ago, though he didn't think she'd seen him. He leaned back for another set, placing his hands on the bar when he heard a scream. He nearly banged his head as he jumped up, running for the door. It slid open, revealing Jubilee screaming and wildly blasting at something Raien couldn't see. There were too many explosions, and the brilliant light made seeing anything difficult, but the look on her face was unmistakably horror. Raien pressed the emergency shut down and ran to her just as she slumped to the floor in exertion.

"Jubilee! What happened?" He asked, trying to pick her up off the floor. She just shook her head frantically and pointed at the wall, tears in her eyes, and skin pale. There were scorch marks running ten feet across and easily fifteen feet high, but no evidence of who she'd been fighting. '_Of course.'_ Raien thought. A hologram. It must have pulled something from the database that frightened her. He did his best to calm her down. But only when Raien offered to take her back to her quarters did she really react. She looked as though she'd suddenly regained her composure. Sort of.

"Raien... Don't tell anyone about that, ok?" She asked him, her eyes conveying the seriousness of her request.

"You got it. Gonna be alright on your own?" He asked her, still worried. She nodded and smiled a half smile, as if she wasn't quite sure if she would be. The door closed and Raien slowly walked back to his room wondering what had happened to make her snap like that. As he rounded a corner he had a strange sensation. Like someone was watching him, but the hallway was empty. Frowning, he shrugged and walked back to his quarters hoping he'd not disturbed Chimera when he'd left in the middle of the night to work out.


	21. To Dance with the Devil

Raien walked down the dark hallways of the Mansion. A strange feeling had woken him. Like he was being watched. Like the girl he and Chimera had seen the other night had returned. It wasn't cold like before, but his skin crawled anyway. He'd left Chimera sleeping soundly in their room. The whole thing just looked like a horror story. He'd seen enough of those to know that he shouldn't be walking around in a big dark house late at night all alone. Especially given what they'd seen. He mused that he was part of such a movie, and that any moment some huge ugly monster was going to jump out at him. He smiled at the thought, actually. He was far from a defenseless token blonde that those movies seemed to love. He felt his power easily within his grasp, begging to be called upon. It was so comforting. Something he hadn't realized before he'd lost it, and something he didn't think he could live without.

Silently he moved through the hall, in the main part of the mansion, careful steps making hardly a sound. Though all the stealth in the world wouldn't do much for him, not with the eerie light he cast upon the room. Anyone with a pair of eyes would be able to see him coming. Disturbing, that. A sound around the next corner shook him. The light creak of footsteps on hardwood. No one should be up at this hour. And even if they were, they shouldn't be in this area of the mansion. It was nowhere near the kitchen, it was nowhere near anything except the front door. He heard a whisper, barely audible, but not loud enough to decipher. Female. Airy. Like he'd seen before. Raien noticed it was suddenly very cold again. Another creak. He inched up to the wall, creeping along its side until he stood next to the corner. A sharp inhale and he sprang around the corner just in time to see a thousand explosions of every color imaginable hit him all over his body, sending him flying back into the wall. Then he heard the sound. Like screaming… Fireworks.

"Jubilee! Its me! Its Raien!" He yelled, barely jumping out of the way of the next blast. Landing on his feet, but still dazed, he looked up at a very confused and pale Jubilee.

"Oh my god, Raien! Are you alright? I'm so sorry, I- What are you doing up here?" She asked, beginning to shake.

"I might ask you the same question…" Raien said evenly, surprised at not being as shaken as he would have thought he should be. He looked down at his smoking jacket, tiny embers glowed softly in the worked leather. He'd either underestimated her power or it had grown. Raien heard frequently how serious Jubilee had become with her training. It appeared to be paying off…

"I'm so sorry, Raien… I…" she stammered. "I… thought for a minute you were…" she wavered for a moment, then fell to the floor shaking, tears glistening in her eyes. Raien moved quickly to hold her. She gratefully climbed into his arms, her own latching like vice grips around his back. Wetness soaked through the shirt on his shoulder as Jubilee let go of her tears. Raien knew this was about when she'd been captured. She'd been wandering the halls just as he had. The same thing must have woken her. This was the second time in a week he'd held her like this. He wondered if she'd truly ever be over what FoH had done to her.

Raien held her long past when the shaking stopped, when the tears soaking his shirt began to dry. Long past the last shallow sob. She eventually pulled away, and in her eyes, Raien saw something that he was very accustomed to. Loneliness. Not the kind that a moment of contact with another person could cure. The deep, unrelenting pain of being alone. Raien had thought that Wolverine was with Jubilee. He'd thought he saw glances. Something more than just two friends in passing… He remembered all the pain of his life, and he too felt like he wanted to cry. Whatever the feeling was that he'd woken to was gone, replaced by the unyielding need to be close to someone. He felt bad that he had someone to go to, and Jubilee did not. He would have to talk to Logan. He would have to see what was going on. See if there was anything there, or if Logan had simply been trying to help her cope.

Jubilee stood in that way only a woman could. Softly and gracefully, making her look, for a moment, much older than she was. Raien lingered a moment, and they parted in silence, leaving each other to return to whatever they'd been doing. Raien planned on going back to his warm bed. Bad feelings aside, the look in Jubilee's eyes made him want to just be with someone. So he stalked down the hallway toward his quarters. He felt bad for Jubilee. What they'd done to her… What they'd forced her to- Raien stopped and shook his head. Going down this path would only make him angry. He turned his thoughts to Chimera's strong arms and soft fur. He only had to half fake a smil as he reached the door.

Jubilee walked toward her room. She deeply hated being alone, even though a week ago she would have welcomed it forever. She'd always been a social creature. She loved the company of others, and she'd deeply missed it even though she hadn't wanted it. She wanted everything to be like it was before FoH. Before all the fighting and the constant worrying. Where the most she had to worry about was not passing Hank's algebra final. How things had changed. Hank used to be on some other level than she was. Like she was still sitting at the child's table watching the adults talk to each other. Somewhere along the line, it had changed. She thought she knew what had brought that change about. She definitely was not as naïve as she used to be. Jubilee jumped suddenly as the alarms screamed and lights flashed around her. She spun on her heels looking at the front door. The proximity alarms. She brought her hands to her sides in a way similar to some of the forms Logan had shown her. She knew it would be a few moments before the team would react, much less be ready for anything. A heavy thud hit the door in front of her, sounding vaguely of metal. Though she knew it was stupid, and that anyone from the team would laugh at her or yell at her for doing it, she walked toward the front door and slowly opened it. In the darkness, she saw something large. Light from the alarm illuminated it for only a split second. It looked silver. She thought it was a bomb for a minute, but as she stepped closer, she recognized it. Recognized him.

"Piotr!" she screamed, running to him. He was nearly unconscious, getting there very quickly. She saw the smallest of smiles before the intense dark eyes closed. A soft sound of metal on metal, and his impervious skin retracted to wherever it came from. Jubilee started to drag him inside, careful of his neck and back, she'd been taught never to move someone if she didn't know their injury, but with things as they were today, she wasn't about to leave him outside. That would be as good as killing him. Just inside the front door, she shut off the alarm and brought a pillow to place under his large head. It had taken quite a bit of strength to drag the man in. He must have been over three hundred pounds. Working out was coming in handy.

Just as she sat down next to him, several half asleep, half startled, half dressed X-Men showed up. Beast and Bobby among them looking severely agitated until they recognized the man laying before them. Bobby snapped the collar off of his neck and immediately frosted over, running to check the grounds incase Colossus had been followed. Beast quickly moved to his side and checked his vitals, then felt along his back for any spinal damage. He muttered something about a portable X-Ray, and meaning to do something before he sat up and looked at her.

"What happened?" Beast asked simply. A rare thing for the man.

"He just stumbled up to the front door. I don't know where he came from. I found him like this." Jubilee said. She was about to open her mouth again when Piotr's eyes opened slowly. He tried to sit up.

"Easy, my friend, don't try to move," Beast said, something paternal in his voice. Piotr sat up anyway and looked around at the growing number of people around him. The solid black circles under his eyes looked so unnatural on his powerful face.

"Apologies. Is rest I need. I have not slept in several days to get here." he said in that low Russian accent. Jubilee quickly jumped to her feet to help the huge man to his own, and was somewhat surprised by the delicate way he gripped her hand. She would have thought someone as large as Piotr would have a strong, firm grip. Helping him down the hallway was pretty easy, tired as he was, Piotr was far from weak. He looked over at her with an approving and grateful smile. Jubilee didn't know what to think for a moment. They soon found the elevator and traveling to the basement floors.

"Is good to see you again, Jubilee. You've grown up." He said, the rumble in his chest sounding somewhat alluring. She had to shake herself to keep her mind on reality and her eyes on his face. She loved that accent. Eyes. Face. She shook herself again.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Piotr, we were so worried. There's so many of us we haven't heard from in a long time." She said, just as the door opened. Off the top of her head, she knew which rooms would be open and sought out the best one. The door slid quietly open and semi-stale air rushed into the hallway.

"It might be a little dusty, but we can fix that later." She said softly, knowing the hulking man next to her wanted more than anything to just sleep. She thought she saw something else though. Loneliness. The same look she was sure she was giving him.

"Maybe we talk for little while?" He asked, nodding toward the open door. It took Jubilee a moment to respond, but she slowly nodded, and entered the room. The stale air smell was stronger in here than Jubilee thought it would have been. Had it really been so long since anyone had lived there? She realized that a great deal of time had passed since all of the fighting and the camps and everything began. She'd been doing a lot of thinking during the past few weeks. About her life, about who she was, about moving on from what had happened to her. She'd even begun to feel something like attraction again. The thought scared her a little. She didn't know what it would be like. She feared that all men turned into animals in the bedroom.

"You seem different than when I saw you last, Piotr." Jubilee said, looking at him. She couldn't figure out what it was. Same haircut, same brawny arms. Different clothing, that might have been it. He wore a pair of blue jeans and loose sweater, which actually made him look more fat than muscled. Jubilee of course new better. She looked at his face again and saw fear flash across it for a moment, then relief. What was up with that? He looked down at his clothing and shrugged.

"Must be Armani suit…" he said dryly. Jubilee chuckled. He _had _changed. Even with a newly acquired cynicism, he was definitely more charismatic than he used to be. Always the strong silent type, but that appeared to be the old Colossus. "Is truly good to see you, Jubilee. I hoped you were alright. Has been long time."

Jubilee nodded. "Its great to see you too. Where've you been all this time?" She asked timidly, something not entirely in her nature.

"Running, mostly. Is like they know where I hide before I do. I am tired of running." He sat down heavily on the bed groaning as he landed on a sore muscle. "Wonderful to be somewhere I can sleep soundly. Tell me of yourself, have you been well?"

"Oh, I've been-" Jubilee started to say she'd been fine, but caught herself. "I'll be okay. Its been a little rough around here lately."

"Has been rough everywhere these days." He said contemplatively. "Who was man with glowing eyes? And big one with him? I have not seen them before." He asked abruptly. Jubilee thought that was odd, but then again, Colossus had never really been one for tact. He preferred the straight up answers to everything.

"That's Raien. He's really great. I think he used to be called Nightfire when he was with the Morlocks. He used to live with them until he was captured by FoH. He and Chimera, the other one, joined us a few weeks-" Jubilee paused again. "Wow, its been longer than that hasn't it. A few months ago. Raien is amazing. The things he can do make me so jealous. He gets this fire around him, and… I don't know, its got something to do with gravity I think. He can kind of fly, but he has to push off…"

"Levitate?" Colossus asked, looking somewhat disappointed with the description of his powers. Jubilee could tell she didn't get her point across. She shook her head.

"Kind of, but he can do a lot more... Its really cool." She realized she must sound like some kind of giddy fan. Which, to an extent, she was. She knew that without the things Raien did, she might still be in that camp. Blessedly, she was interrupted before memories came back.

"What about this… Chimera?" Piotr asked.

"He… Well, he's pretty much what you see. He's a big teddy bear though. Wouldn't hurt a fly, unless it tried to hurt him, or Raien. We think he's got something like Wolverine's healing factor too, only its not as dramatic." She answered. Jubilee saw his confusion and realized what she'd implied. He must have seen the way they were when they were around each other. They made absolutely no attempt to hide it anymore, which Jubilee admired.

"Its probably what you're thinking… They're lovers." She said with the slightest tinge of envy. The silence that came after hearing something like that reared its ugly head. It was strange though. Piotr looked more thoughtful than anything else.

"They are happy though, yes?" Colossus asked after a while. Jubilee knew that he was very conservative, which was why the question was so out of character. She had to stare at him for a moment before responding.

"Oh, very. Seeing them together… It makes me jealous. They're both really great people. I'll have to introduce you to them tomorrow." Jubilee finished, feeling very nervous all of a sudden. Even though they were out in the open about it, she didn't think that they'd appreciate her broadcasting the fact to everyone who came by.

"If they are happy, then I am also." He said simply. No trace of distain, no trace of revulsion on his face. Jubilee was floored. He should have said something. He should have been shocked. Years before, Piotr had been absolutely disgusted with the idea of two men sharing a bed, much less being lovers. It was Colossus's turn to look confused. Jubilee felt somewhat guilty. Why should she be shocked that someone who had been hunted for months because of what they are is not offended by others being who they are. She felt a little silly, because even she had been a little disgusted by the idea. Until she'd seen them together. She couldn't deny that it was indeed love, plain and simple.

"You really have changed…" Jubilee said. She found herself really liking the new Colossus. It was definitely a side of the man she'd never seen. After a moment of thought, she realized Piotr had passed out. She smiled a little before undoing the man's boots, then removing his jacket, which wasn't an easy task. She found herself looking at his body with appreciation, but not attraction. She should have been attracted, but just wasn't. Even though, years before, she would have killed for just a second look from any of the men in the mansion. Perhaps this was part of her growing up. She pulled the blanket over Piotr's large form and silently bid him goodnight.

* * *

Chimera slumbered lightly and happily. Regardless of all the things going on in the mansion and the world, this was a time where he could just lay with the man he loved, holding him, feeling the warmth of his body. It was as close to heaven as one could get while still among the living. He woke slowly, to an icy room. A sense of wrongness lingered in the air, which seemed to have lost something, making it smell stale and old. Raien stirred but didn't wake. Not even when Chimera lightly shook him. It was probably nothing. Probably just the internal temperature controls going haywire again. Hank had explained that in the past few weeks they'd been having problems.

His eyes went wide when he heard it. Barely audible, like a whisper only softer. Like the sound the wind makes moving through leaves or tall grass. He could barely make out the words 'help me'. Soft sobbing from one of the corners. He looked into the darkness as goose bumps covered his neck. He tried again to wake Raien and again, nothing. He thought he saw movement, and his blood went cold, his breath held in his chest. He felt like he shouldn't be here. Like he was some kind of invader. It moved again and Chimera could barely make out the figure of a woman standing in the corner, cloaked in shadow, staring at him. Somehow even though he couldn't see her eyes, he knew they were on him. He heard her whisper again, then she looked to one side, then back at him, and somehow he knew the terror she felt, then she jumped through the wall. The temperature of the room warmed slowly and the air didn't feel as stale as it had. The feeling of wrongness was gone, but the goose bumps remained.

Chimera got out of bed, and Raien woke. He put on his shorts and told his lover he'd be back soon. That he had to talk to someone. Raien looked about to protest, but instead yawned, nodded, and went back to sleep. Chimera stepped into boots one of the team had made for him. They looked a little odd, but they made his hoofed feet hitting the ground not quite so loud as they were normally. Black leather and rubber. Chimera sighed. He'd have to ditch the jean shorts eventually, though he loved them. He thought he should be more scared of what he'd just seen, but he'd never felt anything close to malice from whatever, whomever it was who appeared in that corner. The door slid open and he trudged out into the hall. He had to find Jean.

Eventually he found her room. He wasn't used to this wing of the underground portion of the mansion, which probably wasn't good. He made a silent promise to himself that he would become more sociable. He knocked on the door and waited. He was about to knock again when the door slid open revealing a very tired Jean Grey-Summers.

"Chimera? What's wrong?" She asked, trying to remove the sleep from her eyes.

"The girl, I saw her again… I need your help. I think she lived here. Is there some kind of database I can look at?" Chimera asked, knowing that it was very late to be asking anyone anything. Jean nodded and came out of the room in a downy looking robe, exactly the right shade of purple to make her hair look more red that it already was. They reached Hank's lab and entered. At one time, they could have almost expected to see him here working on one cure or another, totally absorbed and unaware of the late hour. Chimera smiled for a moment knowing that was far from the case now. They found the computer and Chimera sat down as Jean used her powers to manipulate the keyboard, flipping through files one after another. Several faces, all young, it was like flipping through someone else's high school yearbook. He saw Bobby's picture, from several years ago, Scott's, and even Jean's. Then hers passed the screen.

"Wait, that's it." Chimera said, the goose-flesh returning. Her hair was different, but it was definitely the same woman. "That's her."

Jean didn't know what to say. She stared at the picture that belonged to Kitty Pryde. She remembered how light and girly her sense of humor had been, how pleasant she was to be around. She would love to see her again.

"Her name is Kitty Pryde, or Shadowcat. Hold on, Chimera, I don't know why she would be here, and especially why she should feel the need to hide herself here. Let me look for her." Jean said, closing her eyes. Chimera waited. He saw her face wrinkle in concentration. Several moments passed. Jean opened her eyes.

"I can't sense her anywhere…" she said, suddenly looking very sad. Chimera was confused.

"She's not in the mansion? But I saw her…" he tried to explain.

"I… Can't sense her… At all…" Jean said slowly.

* * *

Jubilee yawned as she sat up in bed. She didn't know what had woken her, but she knew she hadn't woken on her own. A knock at her door. She looked at the clock. It was well past noon, surprising even her. She got out of bed, pulling on her sweat pants and t-shirt. She hit the release and the door slid open revealing Colossus, back in his normal uniform.

"Good Morning," he said, "Or should I say afternoon?"

Jubilee smiled and motioned for him to come inside. She hadn't cleaned in a few days, but the place was more or less presentable. She was glad to see him again. She'd really enjoyed talking to someone who didn't treat her as if something was wrong, as if something horrible had happened to her. Which it had, but Colossus didn't know that. He was the only one in the whole mansion treating her like normal. She liked it. Made her feel like she was moving on.

"I'd offer you coffee or something, but I really don't drink that stuff anymore. Do you like tea?" She asked, still waking up.

"I love tea." Piotr said simply. Jubilee actually stopped moving. That had been a joke. Colossus hated tea. He drank his coffee black and strong or he didn't drink it. She forced herself to keep moving anyway. She made two cups of tea. Gave one to him and kept the other for herself. They sat down at the small round oak table and Colossus sipped his tea. The tea he was supposed to hate, but didn't. He said something about having slept well, but Jubilee was more focused on his face, on anything different than what it should be. She didn't know what was up.

He started talking about his life since he'd left the team. He'd only come back for a short time, but when the Friends of Humanity began actively going after mutants all over the world, he'd wanted to go back to Russia to start the resistance there. He said that when he finally got there, everyone was too scared to act. They were beaten into submission before the first blow landed. He said that it made him sick to think of his people like that. He prided himself on his strength, both of will and physically. But what he said next struck Jubilee. How alone he'd been, running from FoH. How they'd predicted his movements, and how he'd never been able to sleep for more than two hours at a time. About how lonely he was. About how he just wanted to settle down. And about how, with the world as it is, he would never be able to. Jubilee saw the loneliness in his eyes, matching hers. There seemed to be something deeper to his though. Something that told her it had been a lot more than just a few months of loneliness. He had the look of a man who'd been shut out of everything.

"…And that's how I ended up here." he said, having finished a lengthy one-sided conversation. Jubilee shook herself. She had no idea what he'd just said. A full five minutes had passed, and she had no idea. She sipped her own tea. She watched him sip his. The tea he was supposed to hate. Maybe he really had changed a lot in the time he'd been gone.

"You said before… You had… Rough time?" he asked her. And Jubilee set her tea down. She didn't want to relive this. She wanted to bury it, but she quickly found herself pouring her soul out to him. She didn't know why, but she felt like she could trust him. She'd always liked him, but she'd never really been that close to him. No one had. She told him of her capture. How scary it had been when she'd fallen into that cell. Before she knew it, she was in tears, and in Colossus's arms. She'd told him everything. She'd told him about the rapes, the beatings, the helplessness. How when Hank and Chimera found her, she was virtually comatose. She told him of the rescue. How Raien had nearly killed himself in freeing them. He just held her silently. There was something about the embrace, soft yet strong. Warm and inviting. Like she could stay here if she wanted.

"I'm so sorry… I should not have asked…" He said wiping the tears from her cheek. He had the look of someone who knew. Someone who had been through what she'd been through. She tried to say something but couldn't. Her eyes just locked with his. He leaned forward. She closed her eyes. She was scared it would be like it was with those men. She started to feel that dirty, used feeling that had only just stopped haunting her.

His soft lips brushed hers, nothing like before. Nothing dirty, nothing demeaning or demanding. Just a soft kiss. She was filled with warmth. She felt hope for the first time in weeks. She felt like a woman again. He pulled back and rested his head on her shoulder. And they just sat there in a silent embrace for a moment.

They were quickly interrupted by loud crashing sounds all around them. Four explosions followed the first, shaking the walls even though nothing exploding on the surface should cause more than a rattle. Sirens all around them, they dashed out into the hallway, training overriding emotion.

The hallway was lit by small battery operated lights, casting a dim glow, just barely enough to see. She already heard people running down the hallway toward her.

'_X-Men, form in the War-Room!' _she heard inside her mind. She knew it was Xavier, though she couldn't explain why. Something about telepathy. She didn't even waste her time trying to figure those things out. In the semi-darkness, she ran down the halls she knew so well, aware also that the Colossus she'd known would have taken the lead.

They didn't make it to the war room. Raien and Chimera had run out of their room half clothed the second the explosions hit. They were joined immediately in the hallway by Gambit, Wolverine, Jubilee, and Colossus. They nearly collided with Rogue and Storm at the first intersection. It was then they saw him.

He stood half hidden in shadow, a black figure, barely humanoid, standing ominously just between them and the war room. He was clothed in black, fading into the darkness except several tubes that ran all over his body, all collecting in a single tank on his back. They could hear the mechanical intake and the hiss of air leaving. His side was turned to them, his face looking down the hallway to the left. They could barely see two feet in the hallway. The brand new tread and highly polished toes told them without a doubt who it was. They didn't even need to see the wheel chair that was rolling slowly down the hallway just out of view. A silence settled as realization came to the rest of the team.

Wolverine was the first to move. The sound of his claws slicing through the skin on his hands ripped into the air, followed shortly by an animal snarl. Only then did the man in black turn to face them, a faint glow behind the port-hole goggles of his facemask. The tubes running from his back to his neck glistened in the dim light. A black gloved hand rose leisurely rose to meet the wild blur. Suddenly the air exploded with white-blue light, electricity striking Wolverine all over his body at once. The man crumpled to the floor, white smoke coming from burned clothing, joined by the smell of burnt flesh.

Gambit and Rogue, almost as one were suddenly upon the man in the fiend-like black space suit. Glowing orange cards screamed from Gambit's hands faster than the eye could see. Rogue, for all her strength couldn't hit the man. He took a wide defensive stance, the first real movement he'd made, and while blocking Rogue's flurry of punches with one arm, he drove his booted foot into Gambit's stomach, hitting harder than anyone should be able to. It sent Gambit literally flying backward. Rogue dove after him, barely catching him before he hit the wall.

Raien quickly surveyed the situation. Everything was an unknown. He had no idea what this monster was capable of, but it had taken down half the team in a matter of seconds. Easily. He would have to be careful. Whispy white fire, edged with blue, surrounded him, and in a split second, he was face to masked face with what looked like the devil himself. The sounds of the world around him faded away as Raien began the dance. Feigning a snap kick to the side, he gauged his opponent's reaction speed. A blur of movement showed him. This man was extremely experienced. Raien fought a gulp. He didn't know if anyone else could stop him.

The air tingled around him as they traded blows. Electricity arced between the man's fingers on his right hand. Raien tried something new. The fire around his hands and feet intensified, illuminating the entire hallway. Adding to his own strength, he used his power to pull his hands and feet to their destinations. With blinding speed, he launched an assault faster than any of the rest of the team had ever witnessed. Punch followed by kick followed by punch, Raien drove his opponent back. Blue crackling death streaked by him, as Raien barely dodged it. They were in the middle of the hallway now, the rest of the team slowly moving forward. None wanting to interfere. To do so could spell disaster. The two were moving so fast it would be impossible to hit one without hitting the other.

His opponent rose into the air, and Raien followed without missing a blow. Without the confines of gravity, Raien could move as fast as his mind would allow. He spun at dizzying speeds, like a chainsaw of fists and boots. One foot caught the mask, ripping it off, severing most of the hoses from their connections. Hissing tanks hit the floor as the man released them from their straps. Raien looked into the face of his enemy and was, for the first time in the fight, very scared. The man looked like some kind of Frankenstein, half of his face blue shimmering skin, one red eye which looked feline, the other, dark and cold. From where the rip started, Raien could see scarred lines where this man's right arm used to be and another had been attached. He forced himself to stay focused, to ignore the visage before him and win the fight. He spun again, maneuvering in under a second for a crushing blow to the side of the head. He heard a loud clap as the man caught his foot, his fingers synched down like a vice.

He barely heard a hissing sound before his other foot drove hard into the man's jaw, sending him reeling, the bones cracking violently. Raien hit the ground, confused. His aura faded and his foot tingled and started to feel hot. Dizziness hit him as if all the spinning and kicking he'd done had finally caught up to him, and Raien's head hit the floor.

Jubilee screamed and unleashed a torrent of brightly colored explosions at the man. He brought his arms up in front of him. As the suit burned away under Jubilee's blasts, a silver metal gleamed at them. A second later, Jubilee fell to one knee exhausted. What she saw before her didn't register. It didn't make sense. The man was covered head to toe in metal. His arms and legs looked plated. They looked like…

A battle cry from behind her, Colossus came flying past toward the man who'd gotten his bearings. A loud banging sound shook the air as Colossus's foot drove hard into the man's stomach. He hardly moved. Colossus gave Jubilee a sad and regretful look before turning to face his opponent once more. He jumped into the air, executing a kick that Jubilee knew Colossus wasn't capable of. Another cry, but this time the pitch rose. Colossus's metal skin turned blue. The voice became female. The clothes faded to white and formed a dress unique to one person. Mystique.

Her kick had no effect, but it didn't stop her. She landed, and immediately the man went for a punch. She dodged it, catching the wrist in three points, pulling it violently to one side at a very painful looking angle. The man didn't even flinch. She kicked him in the ribs, pulling and pushing at the same time. The man yelled and stepped backward barely freeing his arm. It now hung limp at his side. Rage and hatred in his eyes, he reached out with his free arm toward Jubilee, a wicked smile on his lips. Mystique jumped but knew she would be too late to stop it. Electricity crackled around his fingertips. In that instant, Jubilee knew she was going to die. That in a moment, the same energy that had taken Wolverine out was going to kill her. Just as the power surged in the man's fingertips, a gurgling sound came from his throat and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. His body went limp and crashed to the floor, his jaw breaking fully, disfiguring his already grotesque face. Mystique looked behind her to see the Professor propped up on one arm, hand on his forehead. She sighed. Once again, she'd been discovered. She wondered what was next. Would she stay? Or would she continue to spend her life alone and devoid of hope.

* * *

Chimera wouldn't leave his side. Hank had needed to sedate him to get to Raien's leg. Something was not right. He'd cut Raien's boot away to find a hand shaped sickly looking bruise covering the sole of his foot. Before his eyes, the bruise grew. Hank had never seen anything like it. It was like the worst flesh eating bacterial infection he'd ever seen. He could see the skin clearly as it turned colors, from pale pink to light green to brown/black. There was nothing he could do. The infection was spreading. Whatever this man had done to him, Raien was going to die if Hank didn't stop it. And at the speed it was spreading, he was running out of time quickly. Frantically, his mind spun through a thousand different diseases. This fit none of them. He drew a sample from the wound and placed it on a slide, looking at it under the microscope. He could see nothing. No bacteria, no signs of viral infection… The cells were simply rupturing and dieing.

As Hank's mind raced for a solution, only one came up. He had no time to figure out what was going on, to study it and come up with a possible antidote. Within minutes the infection could reach an artery. If that happened, Raien would die. There was only one thing left that Hank could do. When Raien woke up, both he and Chimera would hate him forever. With a cold artificial detachment, Hank prepared for what he was forced to do and ordered everyone to clear the room.

* * *

Raien woke, vision blurry, his whole body feeling heavy. Before him were crystal blue eyes, and he smiled before he saw the tracks of tears in the fur of Chimera's face. He looked around the room and swore under his breath. The damned infirmary. He tried to sit up, but found he couldn't. He realized the dull feeling around his whole body was from painkillers. Morphine probably. He felt the hospital bed under him shift as the back of it was brought to a sitting angle. He tried to shake the numbness from his body, but part of it wouldn't leave. That was when he saw how flat the sheet was. When the sinking feeling and confusion set in. Sitting in a chair on the far side of the room was Hank doubled over in a chair, his head buried in large clawed hands. He felt a hand on his shoulder, but didn't look up. He stared at the sheet. At what he knew he would find below it. Or rather, what he wouldn't. He'd seen movies where this happened, where the poor soul woke up screaming and horrified. It wasn't like that. Raien just wasn't ready to deal with what was going on. He lay his head back and looked up at the ceiling. Only he didn't see the light. He saw Logan standing above him, hand on his shoulder. A look of approval, acceptance, regret, and guilt. In his morphine haze, he could feel an absence. He knew, without lifting the sheet and looking for himself, that his leg was gone. 


	22. Picking Up the Pieces

Mystique sat in one of the rooms of the lower level of the mansion. They'd worked for hours to get the power back up and running. This man, whom Xavier called Wakimoto, had taken out their primary and two backup generators. It had been difficult at first, working with them. With the X-Men. She didn't bear them any ill will. Its just that they'd been on opposite sides for so long. She couldn't count the times she'd faced them in battle. Faced her children. She'd seen Rogue and gotten a look that said clearly to stay away. The one she was scared to see was her son. Nightcrawler. He'd tried to help her many times. Tried to tell her that the X-Men would take her in. But Eric, the man these people called Magneto had always had too strong a pull on her. She would never be able to pay the many debts she had to him. He'd saved her life. He'd taken her in when no one else would. She'd even thought at one point that he loved her.

She sat and wallowed in her own misery. No one understood. No normal person could. Even mutants. They were what they seemed to be. Mystique wasn't. Not even Eric had ever really trusted her. She pledged her life to him, and he still felt the need for other methods of control. But she understood. How could anyone trust a person who could become another person at will? Even around others, she was always alone. Always looked up to and envied, never letting anyone see her pain. She'd never let anyone see her weakness. Except Eric. He'd always been able to see through her. But as much as she had loved him, he hurt her constantly. They'd been together. For years they'd had a secret relationship, but whenever they made love… She'd always been someone else. He would ask her to be someone else while they had sex. He always asked if it bothered her. She said it didn't, but it cut her to the bone every time. Even he, the man she'd given her soul to was shallow when it came to that. He didn't know that all she wanted from him was for him to love her for who she was, not who she could impersonate.

She'd hoped that she would be able to find that some day. She'd seen Jubilee grow over the years, seen her kind nature, her gentle demeanor, and even her beauty. Mystique wasn't bothered by classifications. Gay or straight, none of them really applied to someone who could shift from male to female in moments. What Mystique liked was Jubilee's personality. But now there was no chance at anything there. She was alone again. She looked down at her hands. Blue-green shimmering hands. They were disgusting. They reminded her of who she was, of how to get anything good in life, she had to pretend to be someone else. Someone who looked and acted normally. Rage built up for a moment before she rose to her feet. Moving lightly into her own style of fighting, she glided with softly flowing forms, letting the tension drain from her. She cleared her mind, purged herself of her suffering. The door hissed open next to her. She froze and turned.

"I… I'm sorry… I must have hit the wrong button." The man known as Chimera said, holding up one of his hands. It was easy to see why he'd missed the button. He had short claws that had been filed down, but his hands were massive and paw-like.

"Why are you here?" She demanded. She realized suddenly that she was being outright hostile to someone she didn't even know. How would she ever meet anyone with that attitude? "I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that. Please, come in."

"No problem…" Chimera said hesitantly. "I just wanted to see if you were alright. And to thank you…"

Mystique's eyes narrowed. She'd seen this before. Innocent outright friendliness. She'd seen it used as a way to gain leverage over her. Immediately her mind raced to figure out what this man could possibly want from her. There was no way he was simply here to start small talk or genuinely befriend her. It angered her that someone would think she was this naive.

"Thank me… For what?" She asked carefully holding her temper at bay. Chimera's brow furrowed.

"You saved us… If you hadn't jumped in, Jubilee might be dead…" He explained, bewilderment in his eyes that she hadn't known what he was talking about right off.

"Your professor saved you. I merely bought a few moments time." She said, more coldly than she'd intended. "Your… You and the man named Nightfire are… together?" She asked, nearly stunned at absolutely no sign of deception behind those blue eyes.

"Yes… We are. He goes by Raien mostly, though." Chimera said, his body language turning defensive. For someone who lived her life posing as others, Mystique took that to mean there was something real in their relationship. She'd gone over one point of the fight so many times in her head. The part where Raien's foot had been caught, and the infection started… If she had jumped in sooner, she could have stopped it. Raien would still have his left leg…

"I'm sorry… What happened to him… Its my fault…" She said in an uncommon moment of weakness. Chimera's body went from defensive to almost as though he wanted to hug her, then one of simmering anger.

"What happened to Raien wasn't your fault. I know that. No one could have stepped into the middle of that fight." He said softly. She saw for the first time since he'd come into the room how tired he looked. She realized it must have been several hours since the incident. She'd been in this room, this cold sterile room, for hours.

* * *

Raien woke again. The morphine haze still there. He felt familiar warmth though. It took him a moment to realize there were lips pressed gently to his. Chimera pulled back and nuzzled into his neck. Raien felt his lover's hand stroking his cheek. Something sad to the way he did it. The coolness in his left arm let him know he was still on an IV. That reminded him of what had happened.

Chimera just lay there, worrying mostly. Worrying about what Raien would say, what he would do when he realized they'd had to amputate his left leg. What would he tell him? Chimera knew Raien was awake several minutes before his eyes opened. They glowed softly, white barely edged with blue. He didn't want to say anything. He didn't want to be the one to deliver the crushing blow. Just as he started to work the courage up to tell him, he could tell that Raien knew. Those glowing eyes were normally so readable. Chimera could always tell with a glance Raien's mood. This time there was too much. He looked pained and sad and angry, but at the same time, something like gratitude and contentment.

"I'm sorry Raien. We had to do it…" Chimera said so softly it was barely more than a whisper. His voice was full of the worry he'd been feeling for the last few hours. Since Hank had stopped the sedatives and told him Raien would wake eventually. Raien kissed him, not even having to move more than an inch.

"I know. You did the only thing you could have done." Raien replied, somber and steady. Chimera lay in awe of the man he loved. He himself would have been livid. He would have wanted to go down to that cell and rip the lungs out of the one responsible. He would have thought that Raien would want the same thing. He just lay there, though, in Chimera's arms, looking at him like everything was going to be alright. Chimera looked at him and saw how strong a person Raien was. He hugged him tightly and cried. Raien held him, and Chimera felt ashamed. Here he was, the one crying, being comforted by a man who'd just lost a limb.

* * *

Jubilee was furious. She'd seen all the signs. The tea. The way he talked. When he didn't take the lead. She'd even started to like the new Colossus. Was everything in her life just some game, some deception? She didn't know what Mystique must have been thinking. She turned on the television. A picture perfect botox blonde was describing mutant terrorist groups in various places around the world. Jubilee nearly crushed the remote changing the channel. A movie was playing. Some shoot 'em up action movie. Great. She turned it off and laid down on her bed.

Staring at her ceiling, the whole fight replayed for her. Raien had been spinning so fast, his hands and fists were only circles of white light. She could hear hit boots hitting vinyl, the sounds of exertion from both sides. Then everything stopped and there was a horrible hissing sound. She remembered being overcome with anger when she saw Raien's head hit the ground. She felt the burning in her hands, then intoxicating release as she unleashed her power on him. She could see the suit burning away. She could see the silver shining beneath. The confusion as she fell to a knee. More as Colossus had flown past her and changed into a person she'd been taught to despise.

Strange though. When he'd turned his hand toward her, and she'd known she was about to die… She didn't know what to believe anymore. The Mystique she knew wouldn't have done that. The Mystique she'd known would have been long gone. She wouldn't have stuck her neck out for anyone. Jubilee stood up. She hated being confused. She thought she was finally past all of this. She thought people would finally stop being able to deceive her. Light exploded in her room, followed by a familiar scream of energy. She stood wide-eyed staring at a fresh smoking hole in the wall of her room. It wasn't the first time it had happened… but the walls in the lower part of the mansion were all made of solid steel… She'd just burned almost entirely through it.

Quickly before leaving, she shifted a nearby picture to cover the hole. She needed to get out. Maybe just being with the others would settle her nerves. She left her room, emerging into empty halls. She hoped no one had heard her lose control. Her stomach rumbled and she realized it had been several long hours since she'd eaten. It was off to the kitchen. She rounded the last corner and saw Raien and Chimera sitting at the table, along with Rogue and Gambit. There was an uncomfortable silence looming. Jubilee could see that Raien was still under the painkillers. Each had a plate in front of them. She could smell the Cajun spices from there. Gambit looked up.

"There more if you hungry, Petit." Gambit said obviously picking up on the look on her face. She nodded and found a plate, heaping the rice, beans and meat onto a plate. She sat down on one of the ends of the six person table. Jubilee noticed Raien was leaning into Chimera. He really didn't look alright. She knew better than to ask though. She took a bite of the steaming food before her. The spice warmed her down to her toes. It was exactly what she needed. Gambit looked toward her, a small triumphant smile on his face. He was a great cook. The worst part about it was that he knew how good he was.

That was when Mystique walked into the room. Jubilee averted her eyes. She wasn't ready to deal with the woman. She was just here to get some food, no reason for Jubilee to freak out or make a scene… She would be gone in a second. No conversation, no embarrassing silence, no chance she would just sit down and start-

"May I… Eat with you?" She asked in an uncharacteristic lukewarm tone. Jubilee groaned inwardly, hoping the others didn't notice. She looked around. None of them had. They were too fixated on her. Rogue got up and stalked out of the room, roughly colliding with Mystique's shoulder as she left. Mystique stood with her eyes fixed somewhere on the wall looking like she'd just been shot.

"More food on da stove." Gambit said carefully. Mystiques eye's returned to him. She nodded slightly and moved to the pot. Jubilee followed her with her eyes. Her near trademark white dress, cut on both sides up to her waist, waved gently as she walked. Jubilee forced herself to look back at her food. She looked back and saw everyone just now stop staring at the woman. If the silence when she'd walked into the room had been uncomfortable, it was unbearably so now. Mystique returned, sitting across the table from Jubilee.

"Good to see you're out of your room. I knew you'd have to talk to us eventually." Chimera said warmly as he held Raien. It was obvious that Raien was still heavily drugged up. He probably had no idea what was going on, or really where he was. Jubilee could tell, though, that he knew who he was with. She knew that Chimera had probably tried to insist on Raien staying in bed, but it was obvious who'd won that argument. More silence. She looked down at her food and slowly took a careful bite. Her eyebrows rose as she looked at Gambit.

"This is very good." She said to him. Jubilee thought it must be amazing for Mystique to have fought with the X-Men so many times, then end up sitting at a table with them and complimenting Gambit's cooking. He cracked the slightest of smiles, one not entirely genuine, and motioned as if he were tipping a hat to her.

…And more silence. Raien hadn't said a word. He just stared at his plate which was half eaten, his eyes not really focusing on anything. He looked depressed and contemplative as he stroked Chimera's arm. Jubilee noticed Mystique glance in their direction, and for a moment, she saw a flash of pain wash over her blue-green face before she looked away. What was that all about? Jubilee thought she must feel guilty about Raien's leg. Jubilee took another bite of her food, carefully studying Mystique, trying to look like she wasn't. The silence didn't help. She saw it again. Mystique wasn't looking at Raien alone. She was looking at both men. And it was suddenly obvious to Jubilee that the look wasn't pain. It was jealousy.

* * *

"-am _NOT _a plastic surgeon!" Jean heard Hank bellow from the infirmary. Her brow furrowed in curiosity. As the door opened, she saw Emma Frost standing by the bed pointing to her nose.

"This is twenty thousand dollars of cosmetic surgery! I look like a bloody heavyweight boxer!" Emma screamed, looking exactly the opposite of her normal frigid manner. Jean thought she could feel the heat of Emma's gaze even from the hallway.

"You're not going to die from a broken nose. Look. I can set it, but I can't promise-" Hank said before being interrupted.

"No, you stay away from me, you brute! I'll find someone who can properly-" said Emma before being interrupted by Hank.

"Fascinating. May I ask where you have your personal plastic surgeon hidden away?" He looked at Emma with a wicked smile. "Perhaps you've hidden him up your-" Beast said before Jean interdicted.

"Both of you! Quit arguing." She said. She was absolutely exhausted. She didn't know where Emma would have gotten her nose broken, but her being unconscious would have explained perfectly why she hadn't been with the rest of the team during the attack. Emma opened her mouth just as Jean started squinting, her red hair moving slightly as if by a breeze that didn't exist for anyone but her.

"Now just wait a bloody-" She got out before a loud cracking sound sent lines of crimson from both nostrils. Emma screamed and cast a look at Jean that would rival anything the Phoenix Force could produce. Hank just looked at her stunned. Gauze floated to Emma, who snatched it angrily out of the air.

"Don't touch it for a few days and it should set good as new." Jean said. "Your pretty nose is the least of our problems today."

"Oh I beg to differ. I was knocked unconscious in my room-" Emma began before Jean continued the streak of interruptions.

"Oh I'm so sorry, I had no idea. Here, let me get you some morphine." She said sarcastically. "Oh wait, Raien has it." She finished bitingly, the back of her crimson hair lifting and beginning to glow. The gall of this woman to assume she was so damned important…

Emma's face changed completely. Indignancy faded. "What… What happened to Raien?" she asked

"Raien saved our lives. He fought an intruder who had dropped Wolverine in a matter of seconds…" She began, absolutely livid. "If he hadn't been there, I don't know what would have happened. Wolverine is fine. Raien on the other hand… Well lets just say that after watching a man have his leg amputated, your nose is… insulting." Jean turned not even waiting for the reaction and left the infirmary. She nearly knocked Bobby over, not knowing how long he'd been standing there. She heard Hank pad over to the doorway, and looked back to see Emma standing there looking at the floor, now all alone in the infirmary.

"Go get some sleep you two. Hank, I'll need your help in a few hours with the interrogation of this Wakimoto. He's confined in our holding cell. He can wait until tomorrow." She said with a yawn. She looked at Hank and saw immense guilt. "You had to do it, Hank. There wasn't another option. You saved his life." She said, trying to reassure him. The attempt failed miserably. She just nodded to him as Bobby took Hank's hand and led him away down the hallway.

* * *

Jubilee didn't know anything anymore. She wished she could have not suspected… Not found out Colossus was really Mystique. That she'd not only kissed a woman, but that she'd kissed one of the X-Men's most vile enemies. Did all that really matter now though? With FoH trying to turn the world into a Mutant-less modern day Nazi Germany? What bothered her most, though… She had really enjoyed the kiss. It had felt for the first time like her soul had touched another's. In that instant of the slightest human contact, there was no pain or loneliness in her life. Her heart had raced, her head had swam, she was sure there was something real there. But it was all a lie. It was, though, a lie she was on some level grateful for. It had given her hope again, that she was desirable after all, not just some used piece of trash carelessly tossed aside when…

She tried to think of better things. She sat in her room, not a single light on. She just stared into the blackness, and at the dim crack of light that she knew to be the door to her room. Footsteps outside. A knock on her door. No one ever knocked. They always used the bell or just called her name. She tried to pretend she wasn't there. Tried to make the woman she knew would be standing on the other side just go away. Three more knocks. Softer this time. A sigh. The sound of paper being slid under the door. Footsteps walking away. Jubilee exhaled feeling intense relief.

She walked to the door and turned the lights back on. There was a note. She picked it up and thought for a moment she could smell Mystique on it. It was written in careful and beautiful flowing handwriting. It read:

"Jubilee,

I'm sorry for deceiving you. It seems that is all one such as me is good for. I hope one day you can forgive me. I thought for a moment I could be that man for the rest of my life. The only lies I told were my name and my appearance. The rest was true. There are so many people here I will never be able to reconcile with. I deeply regret that I have likely made you one of them.

M."

Jubilee was really confused now. She didn't know what she wanted to do about this. She didn't want to ever talk to Mystique again… but if half of what she'd said earlier had been true… When Jubilee had thought she was Colossus, Mystique had told her about loneliness. There was something in her voice, even masked with Colossus's form and sound, that held such pure truth… The more Jubilee thought about it, the more she really pitied Mystique. Was there anyone on the planet who could trust her? Was there anyone who had ever talked to her that wasn't just trying to use her for their own ends? How lonely an existence that must have been. Giving up her own son… Losing her adopted daughter… Jubilee couldn't imagine the pain that Mystique must have inside her…

* * *

Wolverine had come to only moments after the fight was over. He cursed himself for his poor luck. He'd wanted nothing more than to rip into that man. He sat in the detention area of the Mansion, which he was glad to see was finally getting some use. Wakimoto looked at him, cold hatred and loathing in his eyes. They'd taken the remains of his sleek-looking suit, and now the only clothing he wore were a pair of plain gray shorts. With so much of his body revealed, Logan could see too much. The man was stitched up like something you'd only see in the movies. Wakimoto stood, staring Logan directly in the eyes.

"Just try it, bub. Kicking your ass would be the first fun I've had in weeks…" Wolverine said, plainly bored. While he didn't like the idea of just standing watch, what he waited for was for Wakimoto to attempt an escape. Wakimoto cocked his head to the side and his eyes narrowed, an expression that seemed to say 'Challenge accepted.'

Wolverine stood, his claws ripping through the skin on his hands, splattering a tiny amount of crimson on the book he'd been reading. Wakimoto reached to the force field. Wolverine smiled. Touching that thing was roughly equivalent to being hit by a high powered Tazer, or touching an electric fence. The whole area suddenly lit up with blue crackling energy, attacking Wakimoto's outstretched hands. Wolverine didn't know what he was seeing. The man should be unconscious just having touched that kind of power.

Wakimoto's whole body shook as the electricity assailed his body. Wolverine hit the intercom button on the desk. "Our guest is doin somethin' weird... Think ya'll better come down here... This ain't right..." He said watching the man writhing in agony in front of him. Only Wakimoto's fingertips touched the energy. Was he trying to commit suicide? Wolverine didn't even think to turn off the power, he was enjoying the pain on Wakimoto's face too much.

Wakimoto's lips curled backward revealing almost fanged teeth. What started as a grimace turned into the most disturbing grin Wolverine had ever seen. Wakimoto forced his hands forward, his palms slamming into the field. Wolverine could see black blisters forming on Wakimoto's hands, and veins all over the man's body popping out. A loud cracking sound overcame the roar of the force field. Sparks flew from the collar as it shorted out and snapped off.

"Oh shit..." Wolverine said and Wakimoto's hands passed through the force field.


	23. Sometimes You Just Can't Win

Jubilee was close. She thought she would have been the first there. She could feel the power in her hands already building, aching for release at their prisoner. She skidded to a halt seeing who had made it there before her.

"-and for what you and your kind did to her... I will kill you. Do you understand?" Mystique said menacingly as she launched herself forward. Wakimoto was outside his cell standing with his back humped, breathing heavily. Mystique's delicate bare foot snapped into his face, his already broken jaw cracking violently out of place again. With a combination of fury and grace, she spun, planting her heel in his stomach. Jubilee could hear ribs snapping as Wakimoto flew backward landing heavily on the floor. Silver plates sprang from nowhere, covering his body. Mystique smiled wickedly. Her skin turned grey, its texture becoming rough, resembling granite. She hurled herself at him, summersaulting in the air to bring both fists crashing down on top of him. The concrete floor beneath Wakimoto cracked loudly. Crimson blood flew from Wakimoto's mouth. The plates slid away to reveal Wakimoto's horror of a body.

Mystique's skin turned blue once more, but long silver talons grew from her fingertips. "This is for all the people you've hurt, and for the innocence your kind stole from a pleasant and loving girl... Enjoy this breath of air. It is your last." Mystique said as she reared up, and stabbed forward. Jubilee could see a look of confusion on Mystique's face as the sound of metal on concrete rang out in the room. Wakimoto smiled even as the blood flowed from the corners of his mouth.

"Another day perhaps..." he choked out in a rasping barely human tone. Slowly his body sunk through the floor as if it was water, soon his face disappeared. Jubilee had only seen one person capable of doing that. And it explained the things they'd seen late at night. One of Wakimoto's victims... had to have been Shadowcat.

* * *

Bobby snapped the inhibitor collar on once more, feeling his body warm and the ice slip away. He shivered a moment, something that never used to happen. He turned as he removed his jacket and shirt. He was so tired... All he really wanted was to curl up with Hank and sleep for a month. Hank sat on the end of the bed with slumped shoulders. Something even about the way his fur looked said how exhausted he was, more mentally than physically. Bobby sighed as he crept up behind him, laying his head on Hank's massive shoulder and encircling his arms around his waist. Powerful hands covered Bobby's as he heard Hank sigh. 

Bobby didn't know what to say... He didn't know if there was anything he _could _say that would alleviate even part of the misplaced guilt Hank was feeling. Gradually Hank allowed himself to be moved to lay on the bed. There were several long minutes of silence. Hank rolled on his side to spoon with him, something Bobby never knew he would grow to like. Hank was so warm, almost instantly warming him down to his toes, something Bobby found incredibly comforting. When one's body temperature went as low as his, warmth, in most forms felt very good. Maybe they could lay here forever, just ignore all the things that Bobby knew would pull them out of this bed. It was a nice thought at least.

"I think I'm in love, Bobby." Hank whispered softly. Bobby's brain froze. Of course he loved Hank, but he just hadn't expected this. What was he supposed to say? He choked, instinct taking over.

"With who?" Bobby asked, smiling. He silently cursed himself for the joke. He'd always used humor as a way to defuse an awkward situation. Hank chuckled a little. One of those laughs that, while genuine, only slightly touched your face. Bobby rolled over, facing Hank. "It's Jean isn't it? Maybe if I had long red hair and huge b-" he said jokingly before he was cut off by the softest kiss he'd ever encountered. That was the way Hank was… Gentle. Soft. Loving. Love. Dammit. He'd done it again. They parted, and Bobby tried to stop his head from spinning, and stomp out the butterflies in his stomach. He was determined not to tell another joke, but he was worried what Hank might say if Bobby told him the truth. He looked into Hank's eyes and knew he was waiting for a response. Bobby was suddenly scared.

Was it cliché for Bobby to just say 'I love you too'? Wasn't there supposed to be some poetry for this? Some kind of right response that didn't sound cheesy? A thousand things flew through Bobby's mind. He could see their lives play out in an instant. From where they lay now, to twenty years down the line, still together, still hopelessly stuck on each other. Further as Hank's hair began to go gray and Bobby's as well. Further when they lay in this same bed complaining of all the things going wrong with their bodies. How Hank would devote himself to finding a cure to arthritis instead of cancer. Bobby smiled at that last thought. He felt Hank pull back only slightly, probably not even thinking about it, but he had that look in his eyes, like he'd said something he couldn't take back and expected Bobby to start laughing at him.

"I think I've always loved you, Hank. Even when we first met. You thought you were some kind of hideous creature, hiding away in your lab, barely coming out for food... I think you had me then." Bobby explained slowly. Didn't sound too cheesy, but he was still nervous, as if Hank wouldn't accept it... Maybe that's what was going through Hank's mind just then. Another kiss, more passionate. There was something permanent in the way this felt. Something that Bobby knew he would always feel, no matter what happened.

"Do you think all gay men are saps like us?" Bobby asked chuckling slightly. Hank sighed and smiled, hugging him close. They just lay there together until sleep took them. Hank's eyes didn't close until long after Bobby's breathing took on the rhythm of sleep. The guilt-ridden nightmares Hank had feared never came.

* * *

Raien just lay there numb. He'd slept all he could. He'd even stopped the morphine. He didn't know how long it had been. A day perhaps. He'd heard that Wakimoto had escaped. Angry as he was at the man, he knew there was nothing he could do in his current state. He'd needed everything just to drive the man back. If a man is what you would call him. Wakimoto had moved with the speed of some kind of demon. He'd been able to match Raien's speed, even with his aura burning around him... 

Raien looked to both sides. He didn't know where Chimera had gone. It was the first time the man had even left his side. His leg ached. After a few moments, he decided to look at it. Even when Chimera had helped him bathe that morning, Raien had tried to keep his eyes on other things. Carefully, he moved the blanket away, and unwrapped the bandages. He blinked. It didn't look so hideous has he thought. It just... ended. A few inches below the knee, it just stopped. He could see neat stitches in red/pink skin. He touched it and grimaced. It was a really strange kind of pain. Half numb, half burning and dull.

That was when he realized he really needed to use the bathroom. He swiveled to the side and put his foot on the floor. His head spun a little bit from the long hours spent laying in bed. Such a simple thing as using the bathroom had become much more complex. He looked down and groaned at the pair of boots laying at the side of the bed, knowing that he'd only ever need one boot now. He stood slowly. The soft carpeting of the room made it a little easier to balance. Raien took a small hop forward, and pain went shooting up his left leg. He lost his balance and began to fall. Out of pure instinct, his aura burst into the air around him and he stopped, floating barely six inches from the floor. He opened his eyes and smiled. He pushed off from the floor toward the bathroom and was there in a matter of seconds.

Raien thought about it for a moment. He'd used his power in any number of ways. A means of travel, to strengthen his fighting, he'd even used it as a weapon once or twice. He'd have never thought to use it like this. Setting his foot on the cold tile floor of the bathroom, Raien allowed his aura to disappear. He could feel the drain of even that small amount of movement on him. He knew that he wouldn't be able to maintain it enough to walk freely around the mansion like he used to. Sure, he'd done amazing things before with his abilities, but using them that extensively had taken its toll, and nearly cost him his life. Hank had said something about massive hemorrhages in the outer layers of his brain during Chimera, Hank, and Jubilee's rescue. He could feel the same thing building again whenever he used his power, and it scared him a little. Raien shook his head and made his way into the bathroom with a triumphant smile on his face.

* * *

Hank had gotten a full eight hours of sleep for once, something he found himself doing more and more frequently since co-habitating. As he padded down the gloomy looking hallways to his lab, he pondered the last few days. Such a mix of emotion, all in such a short time. Mostly though, he felt guilty. He needed to pour himself into something. Bobby had always been able to cheer him up, but this was a bit different. Hank wasn't just lonely or sad. He'd taken a man's leg. 

It was easy to look on Raien as a contemporary. It was easy to just talk to him as a normal person because he was mature beyond his years. Though he was only in his very early twenties, Raien had always come across as an adult. Perhaps it was the struggle that all mutants go through. Constantly they fought to just be accepted by the world. Hank would give anything to be able to go out into the city and just walk. No worrying about who was staring at him. Nobody calling names or whispering behind him. Hank would love to take Bobby into that world with him. That too was something that would always set him apart.

He'd once studied homosexuality, when it had been classified as a neurological disorder. He'd seen several studies, each attempting in their own weak way to explain what probably couldn't be explained. It just was. There were theories about children being raised by single mothers, and picking up feminine traits from them. There was once even a report claiming that it was genetic. Even one that talked about a male child being born with a female brain. Each of these notions were absurd in their own ways. Hank himself had been raised by both parents, and would generally classify himself as a masculine personality. He was also fairly certain that his brain, while far from the norm, was definitely male.

There had been similarities, however. In most of the studies, the fact that these children were often very bright, self sufficient, and mature. Hank had never been able to put the pieces together, and he didn't think he ever would. But he needed something to study. Needed something that would require him to spend days in his lab (with time set aside for Bobby, of course). He knew why he wanted to do it, not that he'd actually consciously admit it to himself, but he was avoiding Raien. He didn't know how Raien was taking this. He'd done what had to be done... but there had to have been another way. The sinking feeling came back to him as he realized that these hallways were often traveled by the others.

He ducked quickly into his lab, nearly jumping out of his skin when he saw Chimera sitting there. After the initial shock, Hank was shocked again. Chimera had multiple holographic displays up, each showing strings of text that looked vaguely familiar to Hank. It took him a moment of squinting to make out the characters. It was programming code. Chimera was teaching himself to program. Hank smiled. He'd known from the moment he'd met the man that they were kindred spirits. Chimera was more than intelligent, though one wouldn't see it from the start. He was exceptionally bright, but lacked the confidence to make it show. Hank had always been clearly an intellectual. Anyone that talked to him would know that. He admired Chimera though, because he was capable of great things, and had little expected of him. He could only impress.

Thinking better of it, Hank decided that maybe joining his lover in the recreation room would be enjoyable, and that any research he needed to do could wait until Chimera was finished. He doubted that would be soon, but spending time just sitting wasn't a waste when it was with Bobby. Before he really thought about it, Hank had picked Bobby's scent out amid the mass of human-smells in the mansion, and was following it to the source. He stopped. He'd always had a somewhat heightened sense of smell, but this was different. He could pick out each X-Man or woman and tell roughly how long they'd been through the area. Hank got a bad feeling.

"Excuse me… Beast?" A woman's voice asked behind him. Even before he turned to look, he knew it was Mystique. He saw something in her eyes, like the name had left a bad taste in her mouth. "I… I'm sorry, is there something else I can call you? The name Beast… Will Dr. McCoy do?" She asked.

Hank was stumped for a moment. He'd chosen the codename because of what he thought he was. In a small way, anytime anyone said it, it hurt. He smiled at Mystique. "Hank, please. Can I help you with something?"

She nodded. "I need to practice. I was hoping I might use your Danger room, but it requires a pass code… I know I have not merited any-"

"Nonsense. You were an integral part in the defeat of Wakimoto. You could have ran away, become anyone, and just disappeared. But you stayed. One action may not be enough to dismiss your history with us, however we must move forward, especially in times such as these. I warn you though, I never make the same mistake twice…" Hank said evenly. He knew that Mystique was trying. That much was obvious just in the way she talked now. She seemed so different, almost humble. It was rather shocking to see.

They approached the door and Hank entered his combination quickly, obscuring view so that Mystique could not see. "When you enter, simply say the word 'Tutorial' and you will get a brief overview of the commands, difficulty settings, and options. We had recently rebuilt the danger room using Hard Light Technology. In essence, holograms that have mass. You can choose any opponent of over two hundred in the database." Hank explained. Hank knew there was nothing that she could do from within the danger room that she couldn't do from any computer terminal in the lower part of the mansion. There was no harm in her using it.

Mystique looked shocked, but slowly nodded and entered. She turned to look at him as the doors began to close. "Thank you. Hank." She said, still getting used to the name. Hank could see easily that she'd not expected to have been allowed to use the danger room. He smiled. Maybe showing the woman a little kindness would make her open up a little bit. However, he had warned her. If she was planning any kind of deception, she would get no such kindness in the future from Hank McCoy.

* * *

Bobby sat in an easy chair that was much too big for him. It was one of the chairs built for Hank's large frame. It wasn't particularly comfortable, but it smelled of Hank, who was most likely in his lab. Bobby flipped channels, suddenly remembering that a pro-mutant talk show was in progress. He flipped eagerly to the channel. Gunsmoke was playing. Bobby's nose wrinkled as he looked intensely at the remote, making absolutely sure he pressed the right buttons this time. The picture flickered for a moment but the channel had been correct. 

"I see it's been cancelled." Said a deep manly voice behind him, making Bobby jump before he realized it was Hank.

"Yeah, I guess. Nothing is sacred anymore is it?" Bobby asked, making room for Hank as he eased into the chair with a sigh.

"Poor ratings, most likely. There will be others." Hank assured.

Bobby flipped channels for a few moments not really interested in anything that was on. He heard a small disappointed sound as he passed both the Discovery and Discovery: Health channels.

_'And in other news, Mutant terrorist groups continue to gain followers, claiming that the Friends of Humanity are imprisoning and exterminating their kind. So far, the violence has been limited to FoH installations, but experts say that one of the traits of the X-gene is a heightened thirst for violence, and the attacks will soon spread to the general populace if nothing is done.' _said the reasonably attractive token blonde anchor. There was obviously an anti-mutant spin on the subject, but both Hank and Bobby were shocked to see actual terrorist groups forming.

"Hank… Do you think we're going to have to go stop them?" Bobby asked, looking up at him.

As if on cue, the walls shook as several mortars exploded on the surface. Immediately images flooded both of their minds, making them understand that it wasn't a full out attack on the mansion, just an angry redneck looking to punish a scapegoat. Hank and Bobby looked at each other, and listened for a few minutes. Mortars. In the middle of a city! Hank shook his head. He knew well that even the upper parts of the mansion could survive a direct blast from even the more powerful mortars or rockets with the blast shields closed as they were. He himself had helped design the defense systems. As far underground as they were, they had a pretty good chance of surviving even a nuclear blast. Not one right on top of them, or of high enough yield, but they were far enough away from any large city to be worried about that. Hank had said, after the plans were complete, that only two things would survive a Nuclear world war: Cockroaches and the X-Men.

"I think I will wait for the world to ask for our help before offering it. Perhaps a little mayhem will show them how mistaken they have been." Hank said, staring at the screen. He still couldn't believe it. Even underground, they could feel the vibrations and hear the explosions. Though with all the things that had happened recently… Mortars were the least of their worries. Abruptly, Bobby's belly rumbled. Hank was about to ask him if he wanted something to eat when he realized how hungry he was. He craved a big juicy steak. He knew being only the middle of the day, nothing like that would be available, but there was a good chance of roast beef… He smiled as he got up and led the way without even saying anything to his lover. Bobby hadn't taken his inhibitor collar off all day, and now, if Hank was within ten feet of Bobby, he was in some form of physical contact with him. The time Bobby had spent permanently frozen had been agony.

They soon reached the kitchen, and Hank was surprised just how hungry he was. That morning he'd had a large breakfast even by his standards. He was so hungry, that the smells of meats and cheeses within the refrigerator were almost arousing. Nearly forgetting about Bobby, he deftly sniffed out the Roast Beef hidden between the turkey and ham. He piled 6 sandwiches high and smiled triumphantly.

"I hope we're not splitting this in half between just the two of us…" Bobby said, his eyes wide at the sheer amount of food balanced precariously on just one plate. Hank looked at him, puzzled.

"Can I make you something?" he asked.

"What? 'Make me-' Hank, you have six sandwiches on that plate… And those aren't just sandwiches… They're… Monstrosities!" Bobby said incredulously. Hank's brow furrowed.

"Hmmm… So it would appear. I am particularly hungry today… Perhaps the extra 'training' you've been providing me requires more substantial nourishment…" Hank said with a sly smile on his lips. Bobby couldn't do anything but grin and pull him close for a kiss. Something about the way Hank kissed him said clearly there would be more to follow. He loved that about Hank. Gentle and soft as he was, when he got in the mood, there was no stopping him. Bobby was sure that he _would _stop if he asked, but couldn't come up with a scenario that he'd ever want him to.

Bobby just smiled and retrieved a modest helping of leftover cajun-something that didn't look too limp or green yet, and Hank padded over to the table, Bobby following. Watching his lover eat was shocking. Hank devoured all six heaping sandwiches in under two minutes and looked up. Bobby just stared at him as he got up and fixed himself three more sandwiches, and devour them in the same manner. Finally content, Hank leaned back in the chair and patted his belly. Bobby shook his head as he finished his own meal.

* * *

Hank sat in his lab, relieved to find that Chimera wasn't there. He needed some time to himself, his brain had been idle too often recently. Like a blade, it had to be kept sharp. He took a moment though to chuckle about the experiences of this afternoon. He'd felt extremely good for several hours, with no explanation. The guilt over performing the amputation of Raien's leg was still there, and just as powerful, but Hank's mind was somehow stuck on 'happy'. Perhaps it had been ravaging Bobby properly right after their lunch. He'd left Bobby in their quarters sleeping, worn out, naked, and spread eagle on their bed. Already Hank was planning very evil things upon his return. He decided that he must do something more constructive with his mind and padded over to the bookcase. 

Hank thumbed through his library of textbooks. He stopped and settled on String Theory and Quantum Physics. A dull ache grew in his stomach, and Hank suddenly regretted eating all those sandwiches. He took a step toward the desk and his whole stomach cramped up. Pain exploded in his chest, the kind that rendered a person totally mute, screaming in silent agony. Hank fell to the floor, text book crashing to one side. The pain grew beyond anything he'd ever experienced. He was so confused. He couldn't move. Couldn't call for help. Totally helpless, shuddering and convulsing on the floor, Hank pleaded with any supreme being that would listen to just let one of his team mates walk through the door.

Alone and hopeless, Hank felt something burst within him. The pain dulled as his vision fogged… If just one person could walk through the door… Time seemed to thicken, and all sense of how long he'd been on the ground escaped him. How could this happen? There were three telepaths in the mansion, surely one of them would do something! A terrifying darkness formed on the edges of his vision, creeping slowly, threatening to swallow him. He felt very tired and tried to fight it. Tried to hold out for just a few minutes incase someone should stumble across him. He was losing. The last thing Hank felt was his neck go slack and his head land limply on the sterile floor of the lab.


End file.
